#and now i'm just here doing a deep dive running into words i've never seen before being used casually

[icharchivist]

love french politics and how i have to look through 10 different tabs to understand what the latest political switch and scandal is all about, i feel just as high as when i'm doing a wiki deep dive for fandom theories without any of the fun nor pleasure out of it, only frustratingly screaming

[rootspiral]

Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 4 part 7

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4] ep2 [1][2][3][4] ep3 [1][2][3] ep4 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][+1] ep5 [1][2][3][4][5] ep6 [1][2][3] ep7 [1][2][3][4][5][6] ep8 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7])

THIS IS THE LAST EPISODE 4 ENTRY I SWEAR

agatha: why yes I'm listening politely because I'm being sociable, not because this story concerns me in any way shape or form

she did NOT want TO DO IT AGATHA. HE WAS HER SON TOO AGATHA. did you ever give her a chance to SAY any of THAT. damn rio is (metaphorically) fighting for her life here. waiting centuries to catch her wife with her guard down next to a random fire, and then reworking her LONG PLANNED SPEECH into bite sized easily digestible bits so that her emotionally stunted soulmate doesn't run away screaming

I was doing MY DAMN FUCKING JOB agatha

agatha looks away like whooops! wasn't listening! wasn't looking at you! no sir, not me!

that's right. acknowledge her feelings. show her that you understand but that you're hurting too. be mature. you're doing great. god the way she swallows and stares right ahead, so determined. this is such a crucial moment for her.

agatha: i'm stone cold. I'm a wall. this is not affecting me in the slightest. I'm bored, really.

lilia not missing a word of what rio's saying

lmao the neutral pronoun lasted two seconds. she's not even trying to pretend like she isn't talking about agatha. and the way she nods to herself like yes, I did the best I could with this. so, there.

"she is my scar" is going to the sapphic annals, isn't it?

LMAOOOO the unblinking cat stare. rio is like I WAS TALKING TO YOU DUM-DUM. I KNOW IT, YOU KNOW IT, EVERYONE AROUND THIS GODDAMN FIRE KNOWS IT. CAN YOU PLEASE PLEASE FUCKING TALK TO ME PLEASE DEAR GOD

and agatha doing a teeny tiny side glance and going whoooooooops not looking! I'm NOT looking! I'm not even here! and scrunching her face more and more trying to keep it blank

AND she's gone. she's so predictable lmaooo. every dang time.

awkwaaaaaard

rio with her soft smile again! with the little amused eye roll! never getting mad at agatha's antics. she's like FINE I'll come after you, you BIG BABY. the patience this woman has

lilia is so scared of rio because somehow, through her exceptional Seer abilities, she knew instinctively that this is her mortal foe. but something funny has just happened: here in front of her there's just a regular little guy, a bit odd maybe, doing her little thing, trying to talk to her ex. might it be... might it be that death isn't a monster, that it's just a thing, a strange but natural thing that happens to everybody? lilia cannot accept that quite yet. so she grabs rio and says no, no. I've seen what you are. you're scary, you're evil, you're dangerous. this is lilia's survival instincts kicking in. we are simply wired to fear death, that's just how humans are. it takes an exceptional mind and soul to see past that.

oh god, here we go, here we go. deep breaths (I'm telling this to myself tbh. i need the pep talk)

stroking her hair so gently. soft, tentative.

hey, subtitle people??? what the fuck??

rio just stands and stares. lets agatha decide what comes next, goes at her pace always

the haiR CARESSING

the HUG. the BIG SIGH. this bitch was running away screaming from rio just yesterday. and here she is. her love. her partner. she finally acknowledges rio's pain and all that they lost and all that they were (and still are tbh) to each other. THIS is what rio was looking for. she's not flirting to manipulate and deflect now, she's not being somebody else. this is agatha cracked open and bleeding love and sorrow

and they melt into each other, and they're rocking each other back and forth, with all their pain and tenderness and longing

agatha with her face buried in rio's shoulder. I'm unwell

and then agatha gently pushes rio back and strokes her hair and cradles her face like she did so many times before and leans in and here I am giving you a play-by-play and running a commentary like a totally normal and sane person would

you know what makes for a perfect onscreen kiss imo? no it's not tongue, although these two will give us plenty of that too. it's the TREMBLING. THE HESITATION. THE YEARNING.

rio and her superhuman willpower. couldn't be me.

and and and and and agatha looks at her puzzled for a second and doesn't register what's happening and dives for a kiss again she's so far gone. the feral animal noises I'm making you have no idea

THE ICY SHOWER

THE STEP BACK. THE MOST PAINED SMILE

THE REGRET

I think one big reason why agatha is always so calculated is because she's afraid her instincts will take over. she does something big and spectacular and stupid and then calls it a 'calculated risk' when it was actually a rush of fear, desire, sorrow, anger that she couldn't control. tonight rio has managed to poke a little hole into a carefully constructed dam, and now all the water is rushing out and tearing down the walls. agatha has rio in her arms and her shape, her scent, her skin are so nostalgic and familiar. her brain goes on autopilot, she's been lonely for so long, she is FAMISHED for love and connection and sex and acceptance. rio wanted her to open up, but agatha doesn't do half-measures. rio wanted her to give for a change, but agatha can only ever take.

rio HAS to put a stop to it. she puts logic before heart, one of them has to and you know agatha isn't gonna. more than anything rio wants to take this one perfect moment and run away with it, but instead she tears herself away and asks, what happens next? what happens if I have to take billy away from you? that reanimated corpse, that freak of nature who walked into your life only yesterday and took over?

billy is now part of the equation and rio cannot ignore it. she has been so gentle and careful with agatha, easing her into a reconciliation that is now in jeopardy because here comes billy maximoff like a sword of damocles! what happens if agatha takes her back only for rio to break her heart all over again? there would be no coming back from that. rio cannot help being the grim reaper just as much as agatha cannot help being a succubus, and she is almost at her breaking point here. because she is hurting too! she is sick of having to be the mature one! she's sick of always coming in second after all of agatha's issues! turns out there's a limit even to the heartbreak an impossibly old and wise being can take.

(and now I need a smoke and a future episode that is just 30 minutes of hot but soft cuddles and kisses and sweet nothings. please.)

once again a big shoutout and thank you to all the people reaching out and leaving comments, it's incredible to hear from you all @crybabyheathen @onceuponalegendbg @idkbroletssee @psychicsolanum @73chn1c0l0rr3v3l @a-tad-bit-obsessed @a-rusty-bucket-of-woes @miacheezytoon @isagrimorie @april-december @aquaaquila and I'm probably forgetting someone but I see you all and I appreciate you so much!

and now for something extra

[kaisers-house-of-desires]

So I just read your Muzan and Gojo fluff and loved them so much! Do you think it would be possible for me to request something like the Muzan one where the reader joins Sukuna in becoming a cursed spirit, but they're on opposing ends? Like lovers that are enemies kinda thing 👀

Thank you for the kind words~!

As for your request, I had to do a deep dive into spirits as it's been a hot minute since I've seen anything JJK story wise. In that research, following your request was a bit difficult but I still hope you enjoy it nonetheless~

For all readers: Please keep in mind the process I will use is not canonical in any way and is merely me making this up for the sake of the story.

This may be a bit cheesy, but you know what? We're here to enjoy and indulge in all things.

Should you desire a part 2, do let me know~

Title: To Live with You

Characters: Sukuna x m!reader

Contains: fluff, human transformation, Sukuna is in Yuuji's body

Fandom: Jujutsu Kaisen

Full request below the cut

All characters are 18+

MINORS, FEM ALIGNED, AGELESS/BLANK BLOGS DNI

Reblogs > likes

Cold...It's so cold...

It felt like ice was coursing through your veins, but you couldn't fight it. Everything was dark, your senses dulled to nothing save for the blistering chill that seemed to spiral through your body.

"I'm almost done. I know, it must hurt."

That voice...whose was it? It sounded so familiar yet so foreign. It didn't help with how fuzzy it sounded, how muffled and distant it was.

You wanted to agree that it did hurt, but your mouth wouldn't budge, no part of you would no matter how hard you tried. You only wished you could remember how you got here so you could try and steady your heart.

Except your heart was already still.

That had to be it. You had to be dead, right? You never knew death would be so cold. Strangely enough, it wasn't terrible. If you got cold enough, everything would numb up, and you would eventually pass, surely.

But it never came, and you continued to lay in frozen limbo.

"Just one more vial...and it will be complete..."

Vial? Complete? Just what was this voice talking about?

Any thought you had would come to a screeching halt as whatever icy sensation you had to give way to a roaring flame. Your body felt like it was engulfed in heat, like you were dropped into a pit of fire. Compared to the numbing cold, you wanted to scream out with how this felt. Going from frozen to blazing was a shock, one that practically shook you out of the comatose sleep you were in.

Eyes snapping open, you sat up, sweat rolling down your face as you panted heavily, gripping at the fabric of your shirt that resided over your chest. You could once again feel the pounding of your heart, though it felt unknown, as if it wasn't meant to beat again. Your vision struggled to focus, your body unsure of its state. You felt wrong, but it was his voice that brought you back.

"Y/N..."

It took you a moment, but once you were able to meet the red eyed gaze of the King of Curses, you knew you were safe. In fact, your memories came flooding back.

The long conversations you two had, the uncertainty, the confusion, fear, acceptance, it all came back to you like a ton of bricks.

He had transformed you as promised.

You instantly wrapped your arms around Sukuna's shoulders, pulling him into a deep kiss, which he returned without hesitation. It lasted longer than any other kiss you had before, but you deserved it for the hell you endured to get to where you were now.

With this cursed transformation, you could live by Sukuna's side.

Except for one thing.

"We need to head back," he breathed once you two broke the kiss. "It's almost sunrise."

It was only now that you realized you weren't in your bed, but instead in a desolate alleyway, free from any peering eyes, but his words made the dull ache return to your body.

"Sukuna--"

"The change is faint for now, but you need to work on surpressing the energy okay?"

"Can't we just run--"

"You knew well what you were signing up for." Sukuna's voice was firm, but careful. He was right, and you knew it. Now, you had to fight more than ever to keep yourself hidden. The change was risky, but you did so to be with the King of Curses as long as you could. "Remember, I won't hold back if we ever need to fight."

You gave a small chuckle, standing on shaky legs. "Try me. With this new change, surely I can handle you."

"Now don't get cocky," Sukuna teased with a smirk, standing with you and holding you steady. "Let's get back before it's too late."

[rickie-the-storyteller]

The Looking Glass...

Hey guys! Great news...

I want to finally share who the mystery blogger is.

Just kidding lol. But I wanted to talk about it a bit more on here, since people have started to speculate about it (which is great btw!) and I wanted to go over its background and overall role in the story a little bit more.

I've gotten a lot of interesting guesses. Some of which make sense. Others that... well, don't. To put it as simply as possible. But that makes sense, seeing as I haven't shared much about it. Until now!

The Looking Glass wasn't always this controversial blog - it started out as an innocent space where the writer would share their opinions on life and words of wisdom, as well as their own creations and interests (whether that was poems/stories they liked to write, artwork they did, songs and playlists they'd listen to, videos, books/tv shows/movies they enjoyed or whatever else). In fact, it never used to be called "The Looking Glass." It was called "Geek Heaven." And it was written by a self-proclaimed geek (Obviously lol).

It wasn't until around November 2010 that the name changed to what it is currently (after several years of no posts at all, after one of their most popular posts got a ton of backlash and traction), and the whole site got a complete makeover. It got revamped into the blog it is by the events of book 2 - deep dives, commentary and analysis of news, trending world events and stories. While that was a small amount of what the blog used to do, it was now entirely what it was. And evidently, this was a good move. The Looking Glass picked up a LOT of popularity in a short span of time, and by the events of UVC, it had nearly a million followers (mainly from the UK, but in other places as well), got nominated for a bunch of awards (including the "Best New Creator Award," which was usually given to YouTubers) and was seen as a reliable source of news and info by a lot of people due to how well written and well researched it was, despite being run by an amateur.

What I will say about the identity of the blogger is that it's rather convoluted... I'm honestly still trying to make that aspect of the story a little more simple/neater, especially in the third instalment (which is where Stephanie finally finds out who it is. I will be sharing what I've got for book 3 so far at some point, don't worry). It isn't just a clear-cut answer of one singular person (I mean, it is. But other people are responsible for it, if that makes sense. This is why there are a ton of red herrings within this mystery - many people are related, but not every single one of those people is the blogger lol).

Another small clue I'll give is that it isn't Stephanie's stalker. You know that plot point of her being wary of someone seemingly stalking her once she starts the investigation? Yeah, that creepy person following her around and trying to freak her out isn't the same person who's been writing about her online. A few people think it is the same person, but it isn't. I won't tell you who the stalker is here, since that's not what this post is about, but to give you a little hint, it is another person we know. Not incredibly well, but still.

Here are the most popular guesses (as far as I know):

Alice - I think I've straight up said it wasn't her in the past... but one or two people think I've been lying about that lol (and by that, I mean my friends from school). I'm not. Making that clear right now. Alice is actually one of the main people trying to figure out the identity of the blogger. And fun fact - she actually finds out before Steph does. I guess she is a bit of a detective lol.

Ben - A guess I got when discussing this plot element with some friends... I noticed that most guesses where from the female characters, so I pointed out that I never mentioned gender in the blog's title or description. So then people started pointing at Ben (and other guys, but Ben mostly) since it would be a major twist if it were him. And I agree with that... but Ben technically already has a major twist in the story lol. Doesn't mean he can't have another one, tho. You know how I'm like.

Holly - Putting this one here for my sister, tbh. She loved the whole Holly storyline from book 1, and she wanted me to bring her character back somehow. And she does appear in book 3 briefly (that news will make her happy lol). It's interesting to think about, though, since Holly's whole thing was that she got expelled for cyberbullying and had to leave... only to be 'replaced' by Steph the following year. Like, she took Holly's place in the friend group. So there's a bit of a connection there, even if the two girls haven't officially met yet.

Bret - Another huge twist if it were true. And it sort of works on some level... He and Steph get really close in the sequel, and she does confide in him a lot. Alice also guesses him at one point due to not being able to trust him anymore. Understandable, I guess, considering what he does in the sequel.

Aisha - Haven't talked much about her or her sister on here, but I have with my school friends. They thought she's a good pick for the blogger because she's a writing student with the same level of sassiness that Alice has. It fits nicely, you must admit. Plus the other characters don't know her particularly well, but she is very observant and is good at getting to know other people.

Charlie - Red herring. But it fits well in terms of his general attitude. Another quick little fun fact - out of all the people to not know from the beginning, this guy is the first to find out. Not that that changes the overall narrative much... I mean, it's not like he does anything big with that info, but it's still rather cool.

Elise - Last person I'll mention here. This is a more recent guess I've got, so I thought I'd mention it. It's another one that would be a huuuuuge twist in the story if it were true, especially knowing what Elise is like as a character... and considering her arc throughout the story (especially her role as a rival to Steph in book 3. I felt like that was a logical step for her in book 3, since book 2 was her realising the reality of having Steph as a friend, and deciding that that wasn't what she wanted). She's very principled and very much about finding justice and truth, and she is also deeply hurt by a lot of Stephanie's actions, so there's some motivation to her potentially being the blogger as well... I'd say this fits, too.

I got other guesses, too (my fave being Dylan lol. Imagine freaking Dylan being the blogger lol. Connor was another one that got me🤣), but these ones are the most popular and intriguing to me.

Who do you think it could be? Let me know your thoughts!

More Steph's Crew-related stuff coming soon (as well as my plans for the blog as we wrap up 2023 and move on into the new year).

[residentdormouse]

Find the Words Tag

Thank you @scienceoftheidiot for the tag!

My Words were: Smile, Dream, Tear(s), Dark, and Soft.

You guys are going to get sick of me posting these 😂 but here goes. All but one word was in the last chapter (and three of them within the same scene in that chapter). The missing word? Dream. I had to go back to Chapter 30. For 'dream'. When the canon source material has everybody getting haunted by this MF in their nightmares. I can't readily find dream?! Wtf am I doing?!

But, this is all from the last chapter - most are vague enough to just post as is, but all instances of 'tears' are spoiling a major event that happens later in Diving. If that is a concern, skip that one.

Since this is like the fourth I've done (😬) I'm just giving an open tag: if you want to join - please '@' me!!

Words: devour, dive, dig, dear, damned

My Answers:

Smile (Chapter 34)

"I uh… thanks for… if we don't…well…"

Thanks for everything if we don't make it out alive. The blanks were easy enough to fill in, despite Lloyd's current inability to come to the words himself.

With a sincere smile, she placed her hand on his shoulder. What she had heard of his past, maybe this response from him should have been a surprise, but it wasn't to her. Maybe she came in too late to see the man who had earned the reputation following him, but the man in front of her now, the man that came to Haven, that man was sincere in his intentions. Fit right along with the loudmouth tavern corner occupants, but never truly gave her a cause for concern. No, this man had always been a good one. If only he could see that too.

Another set of silent nods, and he was off.

Dream (Chapter 30)

"You didn't ask for him to show up in your head, did you? Didn't come to him uninvited?" He waited for her reply to the negative before continuing. "Yeah, thought not. From what I've gathered, between you and Lloyd, what we've seen, what I've seen, this magic, abilities, whatever you want to call it, it's not easily controlled."

His smile still held the prior compassion, his tone lighthearted, but she didn’t register it. Couldn’t. All she could see was the recent dream. All she could feel was guilt.

"He hadn't even started anything, Glen. Being an annoying ass, but that's it. I just got so… I wanted something bad to happen. I did. Did and didn't. I don't know."

Tears (Chapter 34)

**************SPOILERS*****************

Despite the prior context, a laugh broke through and caused a hiccup in the flow of sadness and tears from before.

“But now that that’s established, looks like up and running got you back in quite the spot again, yeah?”

"I…. Glen, I just… You were right. Down and still. I mean, what's the point of it all? Everything just gets more confusing, and violent, and then people die. You died…"

"I know… I know, but you have to head back there anyway. And you have people that are counting on you. Worlds. Universes. No, can't give up on them, you know you can't. Won’t. Deep down. You know that, and you helped me see that.” His hand came out to lightly tap her on the chin in a loving manner, but it only caused the tears to flow freely once more. While unsaid, she heard the “aw Hell’ sighed under his breath before he pulled her back into a hug, gently rocking her in place. A few additional moments were spent here before he once again pulled backward. “But you can't go back like you were either. What’s done is done, you can’t keep holding in your pain. Inflicting it on others…”

************END SPOILERS***************

Dark (Chapter 34)

Familiar knots in the wood gave away her location before she could even stand up from the floor of her cabin. Thoughts went back to the moment before. Lloyd and Flagg. Rayna. Then darkness. She was trying to take her out of the game. Fuck if she was going to sit by and let her do it.

The bookshelf was her first stop, and it took the brunt of her wrath. Books landed harshly against the floor as she threw them from their place. One after another after another, but there was no teal book to be found this time. No need for it anymore. No need for locking away secrets. No hope of pulling herself out of this state with its help.

Another burst of devastating anger, and she tipped the empty bookcase down on the floor. Splinters shooting outward almost drowned out the voice coming from the kitchen.

“Well, I’m sure that’ll be fun to clean up later.”

Soft (Chapter 34)

She took one hesitant step forward. One more. And without any further delay, she rushed towards him. Arms wrapped around his back and held him tight enough that if he wasn’t solid, she would have absorbed him with the force. But he was solid. He was there in front of her. She could touch him. Kiss him.

And with the realization, the action followed. Desperation fueled grasps at connection, as her lips met his. But no matter how much she felt him there, the tickle of his beard on her face, the glide of his hair through her fingers, the taste of him jolting her senses, she couldn’t understand how it was possible.

“Fuck… How are you… I… you…”

And there was that chuckle, that soft sound that always exuded a lightness which reverberated inside her until she had no choice but to relinquish whatever negativity she was holding on to. Let it all go, and just be there. With him.

[vannybarber]

Let Me Teach You

Summary: Jake hasn't had any sexual experiences before, so you decide to take the next step in your relationship and start him off.

Virgin¡Jake Jensen x Reader

Warnings: SMUT, virgin Mary Jake, oral (m to f & f to m), cum play, cursing, MAJOR fluff, Jake being so innocent 🥺, you corrupting him 😏.

"If it gets too much or overwhelming, just tell me and we'll stop okay?" You turn to Jake, closing the bedroom door.

He looks at you and nods his head nervously.

It was obvious as soon as the subject was brought up the first time, he was uncomfortable about it until he finally told you he was a virgin.

You thought it was sweet and you even got a little cocky knowing you're the farthest he's gone in a relationship and would be his first. You constantly let him know that your relationship was based off of love and he didn't have to do this yet, but he insisted, also adding on that he didn't know how he resisted you this long anyway.

And here you guys were, about to do something so life changing for him. It was an honor that he trusted you with his body and you were gonna take care of him.

You walk to the bed and sit on it, him following your movements. His face is red and he's smiling so nervously. You giggle at his state and rub his ram tatted arm.

"You don't need to be nervous, honey. I'm gonna make this the best experience for you. I won't hurt you, I promise," you calm him, giggling at the last sentence.

"I know, it's just so weird that this is literally happening. I didn't think it would come honestly."

And he had a point. When he first asked you out, it was a complete mess. You were searching for a new keyboard for your PC and he was trying with much difficulty to get your number. He ended up knocking an entire row of keyboards on the floor. It was the most adorable thing ever. He ended up coming over and setting up your tech.

"Well you trust me, don't you?" You wiggle a little closer till your thighs are touching.

"Yes, I do." He wraps his arm around your waist and smiles at you. You cup his face and kiss the side of his mouth.

"Well then you don't have to worry." You plant your lips on his and move in sync with his. You pull him back to the headboard, mouths still connected.

You lie back on the bed and Jake climbs over on you. One thing he was really good at was kissing, which you also taught him as well. He almost enjoys it more than computers.

Your hands slide up his shirt and he disconnects to get it off. You admire his toned torso. He goes red again when he sees you staring.

"You're so perfect, sweetheart," you tell him, then continuing to kiss him again. He takes his own lead and trails his lips down your neck, concluding a soft moan from you.

"Can I take your shirt off, babe?" He looks at you for approval. Your heart jumps at his need for consent, although you've made it aware that he could do whatever he feels with you when he was ready. But he's such a gentleman and you loved it.

"Of course, baby", you get out, before he scrambles to remove your top. You sit up on your hands, completely bare on top and it legitimately took his breath away.

"Jake, breathe." You laugh, but cautiously wait for him to get himself together. He shakes his head before looking at you again.

"You wanna touch them? You can. Their just for you." You're getting really aroused by his shyness to seeing you in such a vulnerable state. He reaches his hands out and starts squeezing your boobs and playing with your nipples.

You bite your lip and give him a smirk with your eyes.

"Taste them if you want. Do whatever you like," you challenge him. He surprisingly, but quickly latched his mouth on them and starts flicking his tongue on the buds. You lean your head to the side and exhale. He switches over and does the same to the other one, biting it a tiny bit.

You squeal in shock and he pulls back fast.

"Did I hurt you? Was that too much? I'm sorry, I just got a little carried away! I didn't mean to-"

"Jake!" You cut him rambling, something he tends to do often. He stops and looks up at you hesitantly.

"It's alright, honey. It just caught me by suprise. I liked it, don't worry." You caress his cheek and kiss the corner of his mouth. He lets out a deep breathe.

"You wanna try something else?" you suggest.

"Yeah there is something- I well...I wanted to try. I...um saw it in a -a video?" He struggles to form a sentence.

"Jake, look at me. Just relax okay? This is safe place. Tell me whatever you need okay? Don't be nervous."

"Okay..well I wanted to try uh...or-al." He scrunched up his face, scared at your reaction. But you're overjoyed. You haven't received oral in you don't know how long. You grin at him, making his expression soften.

"You really want to?" He nods his head. "Well alright then!" You unbutton your pants and Jake yanks them down and off your feet. Heat is radiating off his body as he grabs the waistband of your panties.

"Go ahead, love." He drags them down effortlessly, with your help of lifting your lower half up. He chucks them behind him and runs his hands up and down his jean covered thighs.

You slowly open your legs and allow him to bathe in the glory that lies between your hips. He made a very audible gasp, which worried you for a second, but passed when you remembered the circumstances; he's never seen a pussy in real life.

"Its..so beautiful, oh gosh." You laugh and he chuckles with you.

"Thank you, but it would look so much better with your mouth on it." He meets your eyes, taken aback and you just wink at him. "Do you know how to do it?"

He gets all shy and looks down. "No, not exactly." You lift his chin up.

"Its super easy, Jakey. All you have to do it lick on my clit for a while and then I'll have my orgasm."

"Okay but where's the...um...clit?" You grab his right hand and hover it over your sopping pussy.

"You feel that little bud right there?" You take his index finger and plant it right on your clit. He nods his head.

"That's the clit, okay? Just keep licking there and don't stop."

"So right here?" He rubs a tiny bit on it and you throw your head back with a low "shit".

"Yes baby, exactly right there." He wastes no time laying on his stomach, face directly above your heat. You look at him once more.

"Whenever you're ready," you say, giving him the okay. He give you a smooth wink and licks a long strip to the top of your pussy. You suck in massive breath, completely thrown off. But he doesn't stop.

He maneuvers his tongue to find the bud that you helped him locate, which was now quicker to find. He flicks it 3 times and sucks on it, making a wet noise and a popping sound.

"Jake, what the actual FUUUCK!" You moan out, the top of your head literally in the mattress and he lifts his head in confusion. You jerk your head back up, with wide eyes.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Nonononono! Baby, you're doing so good for me, just keep going. I love it. It's perfect."

He grins at your desperation before diving his head back in. This time his flicks his tongue faster and raisies his eyes up to you, just like he learned in the video.

You catch his eyes and arch your back in response. Out of nowhere, he sticks two of his fingers inside you, throwing you off once again. You sit up on your forearms trying to process everything.

He raises his head and bites his lips.

"Does that feel good, baby?" You nod your head and groan, words not coming so easily to you.

"Jake, oh my goodness, I'm gonna cum all over your face! Please don't stop baby, fuck!"

This motivates him ten times harder knowing he's going to make a girl come for the first time in his life. He picks up the speed of his tongue and moans, pumping his thick fingers quicker and even deeper.

Your abdomen heats up and prepares for the huge wave of an orgasm. You grip the sheets as it consumes your entire body, all the way to your toes.

"Jake, I'm cumming! I'm fucking cumming !" Your body slowly dies down from the intensity and your lower half starts feeling the sensitivity. Jake stops his movements and proceeds to lick up the mess he caused. You grab his face and force your lips on his, wanting to taste yourself, but mostly express how he just made you feel.

You moan in his mouth, chasing his tongue then pulling back after a few seconds.

"So I'm guessing I did pretty good, huh?" His face is absolutely tomato red and he's cheesing so hard.

"Pretty good ?! You did fucking amazing baby! And the fingers? I didn't expect that at all." You breathlessly laughed. "That was the best oral I've ever gotten. I am so damn serious. That was amazing for it to be your first time."

He can't even form words to express himself, but you can certainly feel it.

"You deserve something for that. Can I suck you, honey?" As you ask, you grab him through his shorts, palming him. He makes a tiny groan before nodding his head. You move from your position and he lies in your place.

Unbuttoning his khakis, you watch him and he watches you. Giving him a reassuring smile, you remove his shorts and rubs both hands on his hard on over his briefs. He balls his fists up and moans slightly.

You finally pull down his briefs to a suprise. His length hits his lower abdomen and you just freeze. One thing he also knew was that he was big. Especially in width.

You try to speak, but nothing comes out.

"Like the angle of the dangle?" You look up at him and he wiggles his eyebrows. You just shake your head laughing. For someone who has a small presence, he has an big present.

"I'm just hoping I can take all of it." And you were being completely straight up. He was really big. Not that you were complaining though.

"I guess we're gonna find out, aren't we?" He was getting really bold after his little performance on you and you were living for it.

"We sure are. Get comfy, baby." He wiggles his back and places his hands behind his head, waiting for your move.

You take the head of him and suck on it with a pop. It was your favorite part. Just swirling your tongue on it's surface got you off. You look up at him and he's already gone.

"Geez, Y/N." His head is thrown back and his toes are curled. You move down on him till his shaft is three quarters in your mouth. You gag on him, which makes you moan. This causes him to jerk his hips up, pushing himself further in you. You quickly bob your head and twist it around all while keeping eye contact.

"Baby, that feels wicked!" You almost laugh at his choice of words, even with tears forming in the bed of your eyelids. He grabs your hair and thrusts himself up in your mouth.

"I think I'm gonna come! Y/N, I'm gonna come! HELP ME!" You pull away from him and pump him while trying to calm him down.

"Jake, baby, it's okay. Just let go for me. Just let it happen. It'll feel so good, I promise." You go back down on him and move your head faster. Not a minture later, do you feel him twitch in your mouth. He let's out a long strain of what sounds like a groan/moan/scream. You feel his warm cum hit the back of your throat and slide down.

You release him from your mouth and get a good look at him, licking your fingers. He's completely disheveled and is clearly not in reality at the moment. You give him a second to come back down and straddle him.

"Oh my fucking goodness." You smile at his adorable reaction. "That," he jerks his head up at you, "was absolutely amazing! Did you swallow it?" He genuinely wonders and its so funny.

"Every last drop," you say, licking the palm of your hand.

"That is just so hot. What the actual shit." You lean down and devour him, desperate to have him inside you now. He grabs your ass and squeezes it, kissing you back.

"Want me to ride you, honey? I can ride you so good. You don't have to do anything. Just lay there and show me you like it, okay?" Again, he just nods, probably still shocked this all is even happening to him.

You rub your pussy, getting it wet all over and grab him, lining it up with your entrance. You slide down, wincing a bit as it stretches your pussy to adjust to his size. Once you're good you set your hands on his broad chest and start moving on him.

"Fuck, Y/N. You're literally squeezing me right now."

"You're so big, baby. I'm trying to take it as best as I can," you moan out, looking back and watch your ass jiggle on his pelvis. He grips your hips and slaps your right cheek, which encourages you to move faster.

"Oh my gosh, you're stretching me so good, Jake. Damn."

"I know that tight little pussy can take me. C'mon babe." You have no idea where he got this talk from, but he's doing it very well. You move so you're bouncing on his lap, skin slapping against his, making large echoes in the room.

"Shit, you're gonna make me cum, Daddy." You were so into it, you didn't realize you let it slip. But he didn't mind not one bit.

"Keep riding Daddy just like that. Want me to fill you up? Want Daddy to cum inside with pretty little pussy?" All you can do it let out a lengthy whine. You bounce harder at his words.

"Daddy, I'm gonna cumm" You let bliss take over you for a moment as you cum all over him. Just as you come down from your climax, Jake starts thrusting in you, chasing his own. You bend down and capture his lips, helping him out. You move down next to his ear, breathing into it.

"Cum for me, honey. I wanna feel you cum inside me. Take what you want." Holding on to his shoulders, Jake adds a few more hard thrusts at your 'encouraging' words.

"That's it, Daddy. Do it just like that for me. Fill my pussy up." And that does it for him. He squeezes your ass one more time before he shoots his load deep inside you. You moan at the feeling of his warm load filling you up. He goes limp, attempting to catch his breath.

You sit up and look at him, smiling proudly.

"Jakey, you did so amazing for me." You kiss his swollen cherry lips. He just sheepishly smiles. You can tell he's impressed with himself.

"I always knew you had it in you. Now it's inside me."

Let's just give a round of applause for Jakey. He learned so fast and so good. 🥺 I love him so much.

masterlist

[littlestarofthewest]

I'm glad you opened requests again! Your writing is 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻I've been thirsty af for a fic where M!Reader and Arthur are fucking and Arthur manages to make the reader cum without even touching his dick, just pure prostate stimulation (preferably with his dick but fingers are good too). Obviously no pressure to actually write it tho!

Thank you for turning this into a tip request. It was a pleasure to write 😄

In The Deep

Pairing: Arthur x m!reader | Words: 2630 | Rating: Explicit (18+)

You sink deeper into the water, feeling like you're floating on clouds. Since you're used to washing in cold streams or lakes, a hot bath is easily the highlight of your month. That, and your company.

Arthur comes over and puts a towel down on the chair next to the tub. "Let me guess, you'll never come out of there."

"If you keep bringing me hot water when it runs cold."

"Oh no," Arthur says, laughing, "that was a one time deal because you looked miserable. I ain't your maid."

Arthur says so, but you're still wondering why he drew you a bath in the first place. You came here to rob a stagecoach or a train, but Arthur found this homestead instead. It belongs to a wealthy family that likes to stay in the city over the winter.

You could have just robbed it and moved on, but it's well off the grid, and you've been on the road for days. Arthur said you should take the opportunity to relax a little, and now that you're soaking in the water, you have to thank him.

"Sure you don't want in on this?" you say, feeling a little guilty that Arthur went to all this trouble for you.

"Maybe tomorrow; I'm good for now."

Arthur's leaning back on the chair, lighting a cigarette, and you can't help but watch him. You've been doing that ever since you joined the gang. There's just something about Arthur that draws you in.

You've seen him beat and kill people, knowing full well that he's by definition not a good man, and although you're usually suspicious about pretty much everybody, you trusted him from the start. Not that he ever tried to get you there. In fact, you've rarely seen someone who tried so hard not to be loved. You fell for him anyway. 

It all started with little things like a lingering touch while passing a gun or Arthur always picking you to bring along on hunts and jobs. That led to whispered conversations while stalking your prey and sharing a tent during cold nights.

You remember the day at the lake like it was yesterday. Arthur helped you bring in this ridiculously big fish, both of you overjoyed. You've rarely seen Arthur this light-hearted before and couldn't help but kiss him. You sat with him by the fire deep into the night before you cuddled up for warmth. And then…

"What are you thinking about?" Arthur asks, leaning over to look into the tub.

The mere memory of being with Arthur gave you a sizable boner, and you take a deep breath. "You told me to relax, remember?"

"That I did," Arthur says, putting out his cigarette.

He comes over and puts his hands on your shoulders, running them up and in your hair. Then he gets some soap and takes his time to wash you from head to toe. You wish you could tell him to stop, but you've never been pampered like this before. You only get out of the tub when the water finally runs cold, and Arthur helps to get you dry.

"Sure you're not my maid?" you tease.

Arthur only rolls his eyes before putting a quick kiss on your lips. "Come on, you haven't seen the best part."

He leads you into the next room, and you can't quite believe your eyes. The bed is enormous compared to what you're used to, with more pillows and blankets than anybody could ever need.

"Some people live like this all the time," you say with wonder.

"And today, we do as well," Arthur says with a shrug. "Help me out of these clothes."

You're all too happy about that command and open the buttons on Arthur's shirt. He peels himself out of it while you move on to his pants and then the union suit. There aren't many things that you like as much as undressing Arthur. 

Somehow you feel closer then, being the one trusted enough to see Arthur vulnerable. As much as you love him with hat, spurs, and guns, just Arthur is everything to you. 

He's still very much in control, but out of choice rather than appearing so in front of others. You learned early on that Arthur is anything but a dumb brute who only knows force.

The second Arthur's naked, he draws you in for a kiss, but before you can cling to him like a second skin, he leads you to the bed.

"Let's get you in there," he says, and you crawl on top of the sheets.

"Jesus, that's soft," you say, making Arthur chuckle.

He comes after you and moves you around, so you lie flat on the bed. You stretch out your arms and legs, enjoying the space and how you sink a little into the fresh bedding under you.

Arthur crawls over you, kissing you. All of this seems too good to be true, making you think about the alternative. You could be fleeing from the law right now or sit in jail after a robbery gone wrong. 

"Arthur?" you ask, a sudden thought creeping up on you.

"Hm?" Arthur hums while he nibbles on your neck.

"There was no train or stagecoach, was there?"

Arthur answers by kissing along your collarbone and down to your chest. It gets harder to concentrate, but you want to get to the bottom of this.

Did you know about this place before we got here?"

"Maybe," Arthur says, peppering your stomach with kisses.

"Why did you bring me here?" you ask, and finally Arthur looks at you, a grin on his face.

"Pretty sure you know."

Heat rushes to your ears before a shiver runs down your spine. You always enjoy being with Arthur, but it means so much more that he planned this.

"What's Dutch going to do to us when he finds out that we didn't rob anything?" you ask.

"Don't worry about that," Arthur says. He moves back up along your body, placing soft kisses here and there until his face is hovering over yours. "Worry about what I'm going to do to you."

Arthur looks serious, and although you know that he'll never push you farther than you can handle, your heart pumps faster. You lift your head, coaxing Arthur into kissing you. It's soft and slow at first, but you can feel Arthur between your legs, so you roll your hips, rutting against him.

"Something you want?" Arthur asks, and you answer by pressing yourself against him.

"Pretty sure you know," you say, making Arthur grin.

He gives you a quick kiss before diving to the end of the bed, and when he comes back, he's holding a small bottle. "Let's get you nice and ready for me."

A tingling feeling takes hold of your whole body, and you wonder if you'll ever be with Arthur without it happening. For now, you let it wash over you and spread your legs, showing Arthur that you're more than willing to get ready.

Arthur takes his time, using a lot of oil that he rubs around your hole before carefully pushing his finger in. You'd be okay with him being more forward, but Arthur seems to be in a certain mood today. 

After taking care of you in the bath, he goes deliberately slow now, pushing his finger in in slow motion, always giving you time to adjust. By the time he actually moves his finger in and out, you're ready to beg for more.

"How does this feel?" Arthur asks, and you sigh.

"Great."

"Good," Arthur says, moving his finger again, and for a moment, it feels weird, like he's looking for something.

A jolt runs through your body when Arthur hits a particular spot, and you suck in the air through your teeth. Arthur puts his other hand on your stomach, rubbing in a circle. "Just relax."

"I'm trying," you say, but the sensation is strange. "It feels like I have to pee."

"That's normal, don't worry about it."

"Normal?" you ask, realizing that Arthur planned this as well. "What are you up to?"

"You trust me, right?" Arthur asks, his voice serious.

"Of course."

"Then let me take care of you. Just breathe and relax. I promise you'll enjoy it," Arthur says, before adding with a chuckle, "you're not going to pee. Don't worry about that."

You take a few shaky breaths before there's a regular rhythm to it again, and like Arthur said, you try your best to unclench your muscles.

The way Arthur strokes this one spot inside of you still feels weird, but when you breathe deeper and begin to trust that you won't pee yourself, the touch becomes more and more pleasurable. 

It's similar to having your dick pumped but also so different. The arousal seems to pool deeper inside of you but still has you standing rock hard. 

"See? You're doing just fine," Arthur says, and his voice makes it even easier for you to just let it happen. 

Arthur moves his other hand now, running it up to your chest and neck, caressing your thighs and teasing your nipples with soft touches that rile you up just enough, so you roll your hips. 

Meanwhile, Arthur doesn't stop stroking you, and you can't help looking down. Your cock is leaking way more than your usual precome, and a jolt of anxiety rushes through you.

Arthur must notice since he catches your eye and stops his movements for a moment. "Hey, look at me. It's alright, that's normal, too."

"Sorry," you say, reminding yourself that Arthur would never hurt you.

"Don't worry," Arthur says, going back to teasing you, "you're alright."

He leans in to pepper you with soft kisses wherever he can reach but leaving out your dick. Instead, he keeps up the pressure inside of you.

Once you stop thinking so much about it and focus on Arthur's touches instead, your whole body seems to grow warm from the inside, with your cock twitching in excitement. You roll your hips, your body sinking in the bedding as if you want to melt, and your breathing grows even slower. 

"Now, that's a good boy," Arthur says, his voice like a gentle caress. "You're doing so good."

Just listening to him always adds to your pleasure, and as you welcome the way he teases you more and more, your arousal grows. You're warm and relaxed, but your dick begs to be touched, and you can't hold in quiet moans when Arthur's finger hits you just right. 

"I need more," you say while Arthur touches every inch of your body except your dick.

"More?" Arthur asks, and you know that he wants you to actually spell it out.

"I want you inside of me."

Arthur gets the oil again, using more on you and his cock before crawling over you. You can't hide your excitement, but again, Arthur doesn't quite give you what you want.

He teases you with the tip of his cock, rubbing with enough pressure to drive you crazy but never pushing in. 

"Please, Arthur," you whine, "I need it so bad."

"Tell me," Arthur says, his voice deep and unyielding. 

"I want you to fill me up and make me lose my mind. I'll do anything. Please."

Finally, Arthur pushes into you, but just like he did with his finger, he stretches you open with his cock as slowly as he possibly can, even holding still once in a while.

The treatment makes you grab the sheets under you, and you buck your hips. "God, I beg you, Arthur. Please, please more."

"Someone's needy," Arthur chuckles, and you run your fingers over his chest, your nails digging into the skin.

"Please," you say again, the word coming from deep within, and Arthur must hear it in your voice.

He pushes as deep as he can go, filling you up. You sigh, a little bit of the build-up pressure leaving your body. Then Arthur kisses you again, his body lined up so perfectly with yours that you feel completely at ease. Arthur's weight on you, his scent, his lips on yours, it's home for you now.

Arthur rolls his hips, hot and heavy inside of you, and with his body trapping your dick between the two of you, you're right back to being on edge. You'd be happy to keep going like this, now that you're on familiar ground, but Arthur has other plans.

After a long kiss, he gets in a kneeling position, lifting your legs up over his shoulders. You're about to ask why but Arthur pushes into you, hitting that spot again.

"Jesus Christ," you moan, your body tensing up for a moment from the surprise.

"Relax," Arthur says, running his warm hand over your stomach. "That's all you have to do. I'll do the rest."

You take a deep breath, and like you did before, you lean into the feeling. Arthur's movements are slow and deliberate, quickly building up that hot sensation you noticed before.

When you close your eyes, Arthur pets your thigh. "That's good. Open up for me."

You're torn between looking at him and just focusing on yourself, but soon it becomes quite hard to miss what's going on. It's like Arthur is setting fire to your lower body. 

Looking at him as he holds on to your hips to thrust into you makes matters even worse. Your dick twitches like crazy, still untouched, and you're not sure how much longer you can take this.

"Arthur, please," you groan, having a hard time even catching your breath, "I need more."

"You're doing so good; just give it time."

You don't have a chance to argue, not with the way Arthur changes his rhythm. You can feel him deep inside of you, adding to the heat, and his voice becomes constant torture.

"God, I love watching you like this," Arthur says. "You're doing so good for me."

Listening to him makes you melt, and when Arthur thrusts into you with shorter bursts, something inside of you suddenly gives. It feels like a volcano erupts behind your cock, hot lava making its way up and down your body, sending heatwaves to the tips of your hair. 

"Arthur," you gasp, and he smiles.

"You're such a good boy. Let it happen. Come for me."

Every push of him drives you almost insane, your thighs shaking, and every muscle cramping in your body. Your cock pulses between your legs, and you stare in surprise at your own dick as you shoot your come onto your belly.

The relief that follows lingers just like your orgasm did, in a way that you've never experienced before. You close your eyes and just breathe, trying to burn that feeling into your memory.

Arthur slips out and lies down next to you, kissing your cheek. "You alright?"

You sigh before you turn to him to steal another kiss. "What the hell have you done to me?"

Arthur chuckles. "Why?"

"It never felt like this before," you say, caressing his chest with your fingertips. "You have to do that again."

"I think you're better off with a break," Arthur says with a smile.

You run your hand further down before you follow the same line with your lips. "You're right; let's take care of you first."

Unlike Arthur, you don't play it slowly but suck his cock into your mouth, eager to pay him back.

"Jesus Christ," Arthur curses, holding on to the sheets like you did. "Fine, you're a good boy. I'll do it again, I promise."

You hum around his cock, happy to apply what you already know, and you can't wait for Arthur to teach you more.

[1a-imagines]

No excuses

》 Bakugo x reader

》 Word count: 5k

》 Overview: You were childhood enemies who always ended up stuck together, you were neighbours, got put in all the same classes, ended up living together in the UA dorms. Overtime you grew to accept each others company, maybe even enjoy it. So what happens when your new work lives separate you for the first time?

Every day was lacklustre.

You weren't sure what; but something was missing. Ever since you went pro and moved into your own apartment you felt as though your life lacked something. There was an empty hole but you just weren't sure what used to be there.

Perhaps you just missed those simple UA days? Being surrounded with your friends day and night and not having to worry about all the things pro heroes had to worry about? There was no doubt it was a much less stressful time.

Or maybe it was the fact you no longer had your family breathing down your neck every second of the day? You were an adult now and that came with a whole new sense of freedom. Maybe what you were missing was being surrounded by your loved ones all the time? You lived alone in your new apartment and it was a big difference in contrast to the UA dorms you lived in for three years.

You thought you'd enjoy the quiet but it turns out you found the silence painful. It was more peircing to your ears than any yelling or screaming you had in the dorms.

No matter how much you wondered what was missing you just couldn't seem to place your finger on it. It's not like you weren't  keeping in touch with your friends and family. They called everyday, you certainly weren't lonely. So why was your heart still yearned for something... maybe even for someone?

With a sigh, you dried the last plate of the bunch and put it away. Finally done with your chores for the day. You dried your hands and went over to check your phone that had been thrown onto the couch. You saw a text notification pop up.

Blastard: (1 new message)

Oi! Idiot! Are you dead yet? I haven't heard from you in weeks!

You couldn't help but chuckle at his unique way of showing worry, though it would be a lie to say you weren't used to it by now. It was such a typical Bakugo move. You shook your head before typing out a reply.

Bad news for you, I live!

You hit send before throwing your phone back down. You felt awfully giddy about him texting you, which was a strange feeling, usually you annoyed the hell out of each other. As weird as it was; it had been awhile since you'd last spoken to him.

Maybe you were just happy he hadn't completely forgotten you exsisted, you figured once you went your seperate ways that you'd probably never talk again; unless it was work related.

You had grown up together, always forced to be around each other no matter how much you despised it. You were neighbours, you didn't go to the same schools, but you'd always hear him yelling through the walls whenever he was home, you'd always pass each other when leaving your houses on the morning, and to your 10 year old self? There was no worse way to start off your day than his stupid face being the first thing you see when leaving your home.

It was like you couldn't get through a day without running into him at least once.

Then you both ended up in the same highschool, UA, which meant you walked the same route everyday as well as being in all the same classes. Then you lived in dorms together for three years, which meant you were around your childhood enemy almost every minute of everyday.

It was like the universe was trying to torture you both.

You hated each other as kids, always getting into scrapes and arguments, but as you got older the hate died down into more of a friendly rivalry. You bickered non stop but you also grew to enjoy all those comebacks and quick retorts, it was like a never ending game of 'who can make the best comeback/insult'. It even made you laugh at times.

Eventually, somewhere during your UA days, you both got to a point where you could actually admit you were friends.

But after being stuck together for so long? You'd think you would be happy to have some peace and quiet around here. You no longer had to deal with explosions going off or yelling every 5 seconds. No yelling from downstairs or next door, no insults or smartmouthed comments.

Though, even you had to admit he had matured a lot since you were kids, he still kept true to his grouchy self, but he was no where near as violent or bad tempered. He'd calmed down a lot as you grew into adults and you were proud of him for coming so far.

You were about to go take a bath to relax after cleaning all day, but when you saw your phone light up again you couldn't stop yourself from diving for it.

Blastard: (1 new message)

The fuck do you mean? That's not bad news for me dumbass.

It was a little weird for him not to give a snarky reply but it's possible hero work was tiring him out as much as it had been tiring you out. You were about to tell him it was just a joke but then another message came through,

Blastard: (1 new message)

Have you been eating alright? I know you can't cook for shit and you're living alone now.

Your eyes softened at the message, a goofy smile spreading across your lips. Not only had he made an effort to message you first, something he rarely did, but he also was showing care for you? Your cheeks heated up and you took a second to press your face into a pillow, a way to collect yourself before you replied.

Aw, you care about me?~

I've been eating fine! Instant ramen exists for a reason! It's for people like me who "can't cook for shit" :P

His next reply was almost instant, it scared you how quick your phone was to sound with another notification.

Blastard: (1 new message)

Don't fucking tell me you've been living off of instant ramen this whole time-

You felt too shy to admit to the truth. It was true you hadn't been eating great since you had been living alone. Your job was so demanding you didn't have time to cook. Choosing fast options over home cooked meals had been your way of living for the past few weeks and admitting to it felt like a punch to your pride.

Blastard: (1 new message)

That's it, I'm coming over to make you an actual meal tonight. See you at 6.

You did a double take at the response.  There was clearly no room to argue.

"He's coming over!?" You jumped up in a panic at your sudden self invited guest. Lucky for him you had a rare night off work, and lucky for you, you had spent the day cleaning up. Maybe it'll look like you have this whole "adulting" thing down.

After glancing at the time and seeing it was only 4pm you threw your phone down. You needed to freshen up before he came over.

For some reason you felt this pressure to look good in front of him? But you had known him since you were little kids! He wouldn't care, he's seen you look much worse, so why did you care about looking good this time around? You shook your head, sick of all this over thinking and went to take a quick bath. Once you were done you dried your hair and threw on a fresh pair of clothes.

You felt excited to see him again and almost-... Nervous? It was a strange sensation, you shouldn't be feeling nervous to see him, you used to see him everyday. Maybe it was because this would be the first time you'd be spending time alone in your new home? Yeah, that must be it!

Glancing up at the time you still had half an hour until he arrived. You decided to take your mind off of all your swirling thoughts by mindlessly scrolling through your phone until your door bell finally rang.

You pushed yourself up with a small groan. You walked to your front door, your heart raced in your chest knowing who was on the otherside of the door. You took a deep breath through your nose before opening the door to see your familiar, scowling, friend. He stood there, a bag in his right hand and foot tapping on the floor as if he had been waiting ages for you to open the door for him.

"Kat! Long time no see!" You beamed up at him only for him to roll his eyes and brush past you. "Shut up and show me where your kitchen is, you need a proper meal."

You couldn't help but smile as you noticed the bag he carried was filled with fresh groceries. He was alway so bad with words but it was actions like this that made you see how much he really cared about you.

"Through there." You nodded your head toward an opening and followed him through after shutting the door. He put all the ingredients down and you leaned back against the counter watching him prepare the food. "What? No 'Hi Y/n, how have you been?' You cut right to the chase as always." You chuckled softly to yourself earning a glare from the blond as you attempted to imitate his voice.

"First of all! I don't sound like that! Second of all, I'm only here because you can't take care of yourself." He scoffed before adding. "Still annoying as always."

'Why was I missing him again?' You huffed, blowing some hair from your face in the process. "So! Chef! What are we having?"

"Curry." Was his quick reply as he began to lay out and cut up the ingredients. You hummed in delight at the thought of homemade curry. It had been a while since you had a good home cooked meal. Your family sometimes brought you leftover foods knowing how busy you were with work, but they couldn't come feed you everyday. You were an adult now and you needed to learn to cope on your own! Even with a busy career life.

"You remember what I like?" You asked, your eyes glimmering with an emotion he couldn't quite tell, in order to avoid looking at your face he kept himself busy with making dinner.

"I've known you for over 10 years, just because I haven't seen you for a few months doesn't mean I'm going to forget everything about you, idiot." He tutted, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. You leaned back against the counter beside him, your lips twisted into a soft frown.

"A few months huh? It feels like longer..."

You did not intend for him to hear that but he did, and honestly? He agreed.

Without you around to annoy him every hour of the day, things just seemed to go by painstakingly slow. Without you his days were boring, and as much as he hated to admit it, your stubbornness, your quick remarks and sarcastic comebacks, as much as they annoyed him, they added a certain spice to his life.

They kept him on his toes, he liked the challenges you gave him, whether it was getting the last word, winning against you in training or just coming up with the best insulting nickname. He couldn't believe he actually missed it all, but he did, and honestly? This whole dinner thing had just been an excuse to see you again.

He missed you.

"Tch, feels like not long enough." He grumbled as he moved over to the stove to turn it on. You sent him a cocky grin, shifting your weight onto your other foot. "Oh yeah? Then why were you so quick to come over here?" You hummed, tilting your head. He knew you were teasing him, he could tell by the way the words melted from your lips like butter, you were practically purring as you grinned at him. It reminded him of a cat.

He decided not to dignify you with a repsonce and you took that as a sign of victory. You giggled before turning to grab a drink from the fridge. You cracked open a can of soda and upon hearing the unmistakable fizzing noise Bakugo's head shot around to you, his eyebrows creased together in distaste. "You shouldn't be drinking that shit!" He barked at you.

"Oh come on! I've cut right back on the junk food. Look!" You threw the fridge door open to display the variety of fruits and vegetables in front of him. "I've been really healthy! I've even been doing a lot more weight training! Soon I'll be as strong as you! Maybe even more so!" You smirked, he wanted nothing more than to wipe the smug look from your face. You shut the fridge door with your foot before taking another swig of your soda.

Bakugo scoffed, "You wish! You'll have to work a lot harder before you can even dream of matching up to my strength!" He sent you a toothy grin as he watched your shoulders deflate, eyes narrowing up at him.

Bakugo continued to put the chopped up ingredients into the pan, "Why have you been eating instant ramen this whole time if you have all that shit anyway?"

You turned your head away, cheeks flushing red with embarrassment. It took a lot to swallow down your pride enough to mutter the next words. "You know I can't cook very well." It was painful to admit you were an adult with the cooking capabilities of a child. Between school and work placements you just never found the time to practise new recipes. Not to mention the fact your family usually cooked a lot of meals for you.

You had contemplated practising some recipes in the past but something always manages to come up! You knew working as a pro was going to be hard, that you'd be busy every day, but you didn't know it would consume your life to this extent.

Without another word you walked towards the living room. "Let me know when dinner is ready!" You sent him a cheeky grin as you left. Bakugo turned back to the food, grumbling something about how he wasn't a damn slave, despite being the one who offered his services in the first place.

Looking around, he finally had time to take in the room, he hadn't seen it since you first moved in and bugged him and kirishima to help move boxes. The room was well decorated, not a thing out of place. Despite the apartment being pretty small you had done well to make it homely.

As he made the curry, he added in some spices and when he picked up the shaker labelled "Extremely hot", He smirked. He recalled the good ol' days in the UA dorms. He sometimes went out of his way to spike your food with hot spices. Your face was always priceless! The thought crossed his mind to do it again. After all, it wouldn't affect him, he loved spices and, unlike you, they didn't turn his face red.

He sighed before shaking his head. You were both grown up now, and you needed to eat a proper meal. He hated to even think about it but he did care for you. More than he would like to admit. He always thought once he went pro and finally got away from you, this "curse" you two shared of always being stuck together wherever you went would disappear, and he would be happy.

But he wasn't, somewhere down the damn line he has gotten used to your annoying presence, he had grown to like your quick remarks, how you never backed down from him, you weren't afraid to speak you mind or put him in his place, and as much as all those qualities used to bug the shit out of him as a kid, he had grown to respect them, even-... love them?

He clenched his teeth when he felt his cheeks heating up. God, he hated this. He wasn't cut out for this lifestyle! Why was he even here!? He could be out training! Not pining over his childhood enemy! The curry sauce started to bubble over in the pan and he cursed to himself, once again he was so distracted with thoughts of you that he couldn't concentrate on the task at hand!

He finished making the food, doing everything he could not to let his mind wander back to thoughts of you. He grabbed a few plates before putting the rice and curry onto them. He yelled through to you that the food was done, "I'm only in the next room! You don't have to yell so loud!" He huffed in amusement, your words were ironic considering your volume matched his. He smiled at your never ending bite, you always had something to say.

Such a smartass. He shouldn't enjoy it as much as he did.

You came through, throwing the empty soda can into the trash as you passed and sat down in the seat beside him. You hummed in delight, "Smells so good!!"

"Of course it does! I made it!" He grinned, taking a bite. While the lack of extreme spice was underwhelming for him, he knew you would like it. Your face twisted into distaste at his smugness, "I forgot to never stroke your fat ego."

He growled, ready to yell at you for the remark but when he saw you take the first bite of food his anger was forgotten.

Your eyes lit up like fireworks on a cold winter night. "I also forgot how crazy good of a cook you are!" You beamed, happily digging into the curry. His features softened, something about seeing you enjoy his food so much felt really good. He almost forgot to eat himself as he watched you stuff your face. You had gotten some rice stuck to your cheek as you shoveled the dish into your mouth. It was so stupidly cute, a soft smile graced his lips.

You caught him staring, it was rare to see him smile, no cocky grin or smirk, it was a real smile. Soft, relaxed, happy. You thought your heart was going to jump out of mouth. You did not expect that sight when you looked up from your food.

You gulped, not because there was food in your mouth, but because the atmosphere had suddenly changed. There was an invisible weight ontop of you both, crushing you.

"What…?" You asked quietly, hiding your face behind your hair. He snapped out of it, realising he'd been caught he froze, his heart skipped a beat. However, there was no time for him to get embarrassed because next thing he knew he was throwing a towel at you "You got rice all over your face, idiot! Wipe it off! You look stupid!"

You grumbled as the fabric hit your face, yet complied and wiped your lips clean. You went back to eating, this time more carefully so you didn't make a mess. You noted the mild spices but didn't comment on them. It was unusual for Bakugo to not fire up his dishes with spice. The decision to make the curry mild definately wasnt for his own benifit. He'd done it for you.

It made you smile, and as much as you wanted to thank him for it you figured he wouldn't want you bringing up his strangely nice gesture since he had been so silent about it.

During the dinner you talked about your new work lives, how you'd been coping living alone, anything that came to mind. Of course, that came with a variety of witty comments and snarky comebacks, but it was just how you liked it. It was how it had always been, how you always wanted it to be.

Once the plates were clean you stood up, reaching over to grab his plate so you could clean up but his hand shot out and grabbed your wrist. You paused, looking up to meet his eyes. "I'll help clean." He said, picking up his plate and taking it to the sink. You smiled, following him with your own plate.

"Wow, cooking and cleaning? Has anyone ever told you that you'd be a perfect house wife?" You smirked at him as he filled up the sink with soap and water.

"At least I can cook." He shot back without missing a beat. You laughed st the remark, nudging his side as you pushed your wasy in front of the sink. You continued to chat as you cleaned up, you washed as he dried.

As you finished up scrubbing the last dish Bakugo made a comment about you eating like a pig at dinner which, in return, made you splashed his face using soapy dish water.

He growled when he felt the droplets soaking his face and hair, but hearing your laughter made it hard to stay his usual, grumpy self. Instead he settled for dipping his fingers into the water and flicking you back.

Your face scrunched up, eyes closing to avoid any soap suds getting in your eyes.

You took his reciprocation as a declaration of war and it soon turned into a mini, kitchen water fight. Laughter filled the once quiet apartment as you fought each other.

For a moment it didn't feel like you lived alone, for the first time in months you felt like that empty space in your life had been filled again.

You had to stop the water fight before you soaked the kitchen as well as each other. As fun as it was you didn't want to have to clean up for the third time today.

Once all the dishes were put away and you dried yoursleved using a spare towel; Bakugo narrowed his eyes at the front door.

He wasn't sure if he should go, a part of him didn't want to. He only came over to make you dinner, now that was over he had no reason to stay. Should he make up some bullshit excuse to stay? He didn't want you teasing him again.

Despite taking a few minutes to think up an excuse to stay, he came up with nothing. Grumbling to himself he kicked his foot against the ground and turned around to you, ready to say goodbye.

His eyes widened upon landing on you, you held up two gaming controllers, a grin on your lips as you pushed one towards him. "Wanna try finally beating me at mario kart?"

"What are you talking about! I win all the time!" He rolled his eyes and snatched a controller from your hands, taking on your challenge. He felt the weight lift from his shoulders, you were giving him a reason to stay longer and he wasn't about to turn that down.

"You beat me at super smash bros! But never mario kart!" You backfired, plopping down onto the couch as the console fired up.

"Then let's play super smash bros!"

"We do not play that in this household!" You stomped your foot at the thought of the game you could never beat him at. Bakugo scoffed and sat next to you. "You're such a fucking sore loser!"

You forced a laugh before sending him a glare, leaning closer to him. You reaction must have amused him as he smirked at you. "I do not want to hear that from you!"

"Shut up and let's play!" The first round started up, the familiar countdown sound ringing in your ears. You'd like to say things started pretty civil, but It didn't take long for you to start shoving each other as you battled for first place. There was a lot of yelling, combined with a lot of laughter and cheering. It was the most lively your apartment had ever felt, in just one night Bakugo was able to change all of that.

A few rounds turned into hours. You didn't even notice how high up the moon was in the sky. You were too busy enjoying each other's company, having more fun than either of you had experienced in months.

You shot out of your seat pumping your fist into the air as you passed the finish line in first place once again.

"HAH! You still can't beat me!” You boasted.

The blond threw the controller down, his teeth clenched tight as he grumbled. “Next time I’m bringing super smash bros!” You sat back down, giggling as you poked his side. “Who's the sore loser now huh? Big baby.” You teased, poking a finger into his side, much like poking a bear with a stick, it was a recipe for disaster.

He growled and jumped to you grabbing your hands to keep them away from prodding him. You started laughing again, squirming and battling with him, determined to keep attacking but your giggle fit made it hard to fight back.

As you were laughing you missed yet another rare smile on his face. He didn't know what was going on with him, maybe he was just in a good mood today? He had taken down a group of robbers earlier when he was on patrol, and taking down villains always felt good.

All he knew was that he never wanted the moment to end, it was nice to hear your stupid laughter again, to see you smiling as you tried to match his strength and fight back. He hadn't even realised that some point during your play fight he had knocked you down onto your back and was hovering over you.

He had always been the stronger of the pair so you lost fairly quickly. His hands pinned yours beside your head. "That was a good fight you put up, but it's still not good enough to match up to me." He smirked down at you

You stuck out her tongue at him, panting as you tried to kick your legs at him. Turns out he had thought ahead and pinned those down too. You huffed through your nose, tasting defeat was bitter.

You stared at each other, as the laughter died down so did the playfulness. The atmosphere became serious. He wasn't sure what it was, but there was some sort of unspoken feeling between you both. He gulped, noting the way your hair was sprawled out on the couch beneath you, creating a halo of hair around your head. Your eyes shone as they stared into his, he had never noticed what a nice colour they were, and your lips- they looked so soft..

There was a pull, an invisible red string tugging you closer to each other and connecting your hearts.

But, you both ignored it. He got off of you and sat back. He ran a hand through his hair, you both avoided eye contact.

Looking out the window Bakugo finally noticed that the moon had long ascended into the night sky. Had he been here that long? God, it must be passed midnight but he felt like he had only been here for an hour. He shook his head and stood up, You watched him with parted lips, your heart racing at the tension.

What was that feeling between you two? It was so strong. Did he feel it too? It was sending your head into a spin.

"I should go." He muttered, he didn't want to go, he really didn't but the words were leaving his mouth before he had time to process them.

He had felt it too, and he didn't know how to react. He hadn't felt anything like it before, it made his heart race, he felt weak and he didn't like it. He knew he felt- something for you? But was it enough to call it love?

You looked up at him, giving him a nod, not like he could see since his back was already turned. You stood up, arms wrapping around yourself as you walked him to the door.

There were so many unspoken words between you. So many feelings left unexpressed. You bit your lip, voice caught in your throat as you watched him silently slip on his shoes. He opened the front door, pausing for a second, hesitating... "See ya."

"Bye." You replied as he closed the door behind him.

The appartment suddenly ran cold, silent, a chill running across your skin. The silence cut through your ears like a sharp blade.

You pulled your arms tighter around yourself. How could you deny it? Having him around again had been amazing, even if just for one afternoon. You despised him as a child, but over time, throughout highschool, through building a silent trust, a friendship had formed, and then-… and then somewhere down the line it turned into more.

No matter how much you tried to convince yourself otherwise, you loved being around him, you had a strong bond, you had watched him grow and become a better person, you had seen each other at your best and at your worst. You had fought each other but also fought with each other. You cared for each other, you annoyed the hell out of each other, you had been through so much together.

He had always been there, even if you didn't want him to be. You had hated him and you had loved him...

You… loved him…

Your eyes widened, "I.. love him." You muttered, saying it out loud made it all the more real. A feeling of wanting to slap yourself silly for being so blind overcame you.

You loved him! Of course you loved him!!You had always been so focused on school and work that you hadn't even noticed you were growing feelings for your childhood rival?

You couldn't let him go again! How many more months until you got to see each other again? You had always somehow ended up stuck together, it felt like he would always be there but now you had witnessed what life was like without him around… you hated it! For the first time in your life, you wanted him around.

You couldn't sit around in your lonely apartment each day now you knew you were in love with that jerk!

"God damnit! Why did it have to be him." You ran to the door and flung it open, not even thinking of shoes as you ran out into the cold night air. "Maybe he didn't get far-"

You rounded the corner before colliding with what you could only assume was a brick wall. You winced, pulling back and rubbing your nose. You looked up, coming face to face with none other than the man himself.

You stared at each other in shock, he came back for you too? This whole scene, these feelings, neither of you could have ever imagined this is where you would've end up.

"I need to tell you something!" You spoke in unison, making you both cringe.

"You first." He crossed his arms stubbornly, wanting to know you were on the same wave as he was and hadn't just ran after him because he left something.

You sighed, rubbing your arm, glancing away for a second to collect yourself. You hadn't thought this far ahead so you had no idea what to say. You sighed, looking up to meet his eyes, the best way would be to face your feelings head on. No going back! Even if he rejects you, at least he would respect you being blunt with it, he hated when people beat around the bush.

"I love you." You said, your head lifted high. His eyes widened at your bold declaration, his tense demeanour dropping. "I wanted to tell you before you disappear for months again. So there you have it, I'm in love with you. Believe me or not I don't care. I just- mmph!" Hands yanked you forward by your hips, smooth lips molded against your own when he head dipped down.

It took a few seconds to reciprocate, but when you did he pulled you closer. Your hands went to his shoulders to steady yourself, your legs felt weak, but that didn't stop you from kissing back.

You smiled into the kiss, you couldn't help it. Not only did the kiss feel great but the way he had pulled you in for it without wasting time with words was just such a Bakugo thing to do.

"I love you too, dumbass." He muttered when he pulled away, You let out a breathy laugh and shook your head. "You have such a way with words~"

"Shut up." You giggled at him before you went back in for another kiss, longer, holding more passion as your years of pent up feelings finally reached the surface. Your heads tilted and turned, hands roaming each other's bodies, his arms wrapped around you, his body heat protecting your bare skin from the chill of the night.

He backed you up agaisnt the wall. His tongue ran across your bottom lip, you weren't sure how long you had been standing there but it felt like you were the only two people in the world.

It was so late not another soul was to be see. It was just you, him and the city lights.

His hand ran down towards your thigh, only for you both to jump back when the distance sound of a car honking ripped through your serentity.

Panting as you stared at each other, almost not believing you had just msde out with each other. You pressed your fingers to your tingling lips. A smile on your face, "So- uh, wanna come inside for a bit?” the mischief in your eyes did not match the innocent smile on your face. He knew exactly what you were planning, "Fuck yes."

And there was no way he was going to turn it down.

[laprincesaelena]

EOA Discord Server Ship Appreciation Week Day 2: Cooling Off

a/n: hi everyone! to all that left some feedback on day 1’s fic, thank you so much!! i’m so happy to know that people are enjoying my fics, i’m really excited to finally be sharing some with you guys! sorry today’s fic is a bit late, i of course put it off lol, and i intended to have a lot more time to write today, but i ended up having a lot less than i thought. but, regardless, i spent the rest of my night writing this so i could post this as close to on time as possible!

this fic is basically the beach day the four amigos deserved to have in the show, but of course, with some cute gabelena moments scattered in there :) fun fact, the beach they visit is inspired by my local beach, one that i also have many childhood memories of, and still visit every summer! not me projecting my childhood onto elena, what no 😗✌🏻

anyways, a couple quick notes! i chose the name moteada for the horse elena rides, since it was the closest spanish translation i could find to “spotted” (or spotty, as little me would say). if any spanish speakers know of a word that is closer to that (as in spotted in appearance), please let me know! also this could technically be a modern au?? not sure how much of what’s featured in this would exist in avalor, so interpret it as you’d like.

once again, another thank you to @procrastinateland for the absolutely adorable art to go along with the fic!! elena’s smile is just so cute, isn’t it? 🥺

okay, enough of my notes lol, on with the fic! hope you all enjoy! :)

After quite a few of their planned beach days had gotten rained out, Elena, Gabe, Mateo, and Naomi felt like they'd never get a fun and relaxing day together. But, one warm summer day, the sun would be bright and shining all day long, and the four amigos knew they had to take advantage of it.

The four of them met up at the palace that morning, and made sure they were all ready to go. After packing the carriage with all the necessities, they headed off to Avalor City's most popular beach, Playa de la Marea.

Elena smiled as they approached the beach, and took a deep breath, taking in the salty sea air. Playa de la Marea was a nostalgic location for her, as her and her family visited the beach each summer when she was a kid. Some of her happiest memories took place here, and she couldn't wait to create new memories here with her friends.

As the carriage drove them down the avenue, the four of them took in the sights. To their right, was the beautiful Playa de la Marea, which stretched down the coast for about five miles. A concrete wall lifted the road slightly above sea level, but beside it was plenty of space for walking along the ocean, as well as a couple of places to eat. To their left was a boardwalk of sorts, which included plenty of fun things to do. Restaurants, shops, an arcade, mini golf, carousel, ice cream shop, anything to add a bit more fun to a summer day.

The carriage pulled over for the four of them to step out and finally begin their day at the beach. Elena stepped out first, and took a look around. Things had certainly changed around here in the past four decades.

"Where's the amusement park?" Elena asked, as if it had somehow suddenly disappeared. "It used to be right behind those buildings!" she added, pointing over across the street.

"Amusement park?" Gabe asked as he began to unpack the back of the carriage. "What are you talking about?"

"Gabe, she missed out on like, half a century. Who knows what this place looked like when she was a kid?" Naomi said, leaning over the back of the carriage.

"She's right, there was one here. Parque de la Perfección was right where this boardwalk is today." Mateo explained. "My mamá used to visit as a child all the time, it closed about thirty years ago, so I'm sure Elena remembers it just as well. There's only one attraction from it left, maybe we could ride that today."

Elena's eyes lit up as she turned to the group. "Can we?" she asked.

"Uh, can we at least go to the beach first?" Naomi replied with a soft laugh. "We've only been waiting forever for a perfect day like this, let's go!"

With that, Naomi hopped out of the carriage, and each of the amigos grabbed a bag or two to carry down to the beach. After a few minutes of searching for the perfect spot, each of them laid down a blanket, as well as setting up a couple of chairs and an umbrella. Naomi stepped back for a moment, and made a frame with her fingers, before giving the group a thumbs up.

"Looks great, guys!" she said. "Now c'mon! The sea's a'waitin!" She was just about to run off towards the ocean, before a voice stopped her.

"Hang on!" Mateo said, and grabbed a bag from beside him. He emptied the contents of it onto one of their towels, and about all there was to see was every type of sunscreen imaginable.

“Looks like somebody came prepared!" Elena joked with a small laugh.

"My mother came prepared." Mateo responded. "She couldn't have her 'precious baby boy' come home with a sunburn, or any sort of tan, apparently.." he said, before placing the bag aside, having completely emptied it. "So, I've got lotion, spray, a stick, whatever you prefer!"

"I'll take the spray, thanks." Elena answered, and Mateo threw a can over to her.

"I should probably cover myself in this.." Mateo said, taking a bottle of the lotion equivalent. "I'd be afraid to see my mother's reaction if I came home with even the slightest bit of redness." he added with a slight laugh.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm heading into the water, I'll be fine." Naomi commented.

"But Naomi, you're the palest of all of us!" Mateo replied. "You'll be bright red!"

Naomi rolled her eyes, but smiled, knowing her friend was just looking out for her. "Alright, fine." she said. "Elena, hit me up with some of the spray."

Elena managed to spray on just enough to cover Naomi's body, before she was headed off to the water. She smiled and laughed a bit, before taking off her beach cover-up, and spraying some onto herself as well.

A moment later, the rest of the friends were ready to join Naomi in the water. The waves were just right that day, rough enough to play around in, but calm enough to simply enjoy the shallower end. The water was on the chillier side, but on a hot summer day like this one, it felt quite refreshing.

Elena took Gabe's hand in hers as they reached the water, he could barely keep up with her in that moment! Once the water came to about her waist, she dived right into a wave. A second later, her head popped up from under the water with a big smile, and Gabe couldn't help but smile as well. He loved seeing Elena in rare moments like this one, where she could truly sit back, relax, and let loose. After all she had been through and all she'd done for the kingdom so far, she very much deserved it.

Naomi was still multiple feet out from them, the water had to be much over her head. But being practically raised on a ship, the water was certainly her element. Once she noticed her friends, she waved to them, and began to swim a bit closer to the group.

"Water's perfect today, isn't it?" she asked them. "Got some decent sized waves to jump into as well! I'm not the only one who's always liked to do that, right?"

"Uh, absolutely not!" Elena replied. "I'm in!"

Gabe looked out onto the horizon, and noted the size of some of the waves. A few of them were a bit too rough for his liking, especially for someone like Elena, who was much shorter than he was. What if she got knocked under and never came back up? What if she lost her footing and got sucked into a current? There were too many possibilities of what could go wrong, and even though this was technically an off day for him, his protective royal guard side couldn't help but come out.

"Elena, I don't know.." he said, protectively wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "What if one of them knocks you under and you don't come up? I can't let anything happen to you."

Elena rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Oh, come on Gabe, loosen up a little! I'll be fine, I can swim. Besides, it's an off day for us all, let's just have some fun! You can join us, if you'd like." she offered.

Gabe sighed, he knew that he did have to learn to trust Elena on her own more often, she didn't need to be protected. "Alright, fine, I'll come too." he said. "How about you just don't go any further than you can reach, okay?"

Elena nodded, that was reasonable enough. "Will do!" she said, and took his hand in hers once more. "Now let's go!"

The next few minutes were spent jumping over the waves, diving into them, or even getting knocked down a few times! Elena just couldn't help but smile and laugh each time this happened, especially with Gabe rushing to fix his hair before the next wave came along to mess it up again.

When a break between waves came along, Elena wrapped her arms around Gabe's neck with a smile, and leaned up to kiss him. Gabe wrapped his arms around Elena's waist and pulled her in closer, kissing her right back. Elena couldn't picture a more perfect day, she just wanted this sweet little moment to last forever.

Naomi turned to say something to her best friend, only to see the couple wrapped up in this embrace. She rolled her eyes but laughed to herself, and jokingly called, "Get a room!"

When Naomi turned back towards the sea, she was faced with one of the biggest waves she had seen that day. She dived right into it, and found herself about six feet under the water. Once she reached the surface, the wave hadn't reached her friends yet, but it was pretty close to them. Of course, Gabe and Elena were oblivious to what was heading their way, so Naomi called out to warn them. When not even that broke the couple apart, Naomi knew they'd be finding out on their own soon enough.

Elena could've sworn she had heard a voice a moment earlier, but she didn't think it was directed towards her or Gabe. But, when she heard the roaring of a wave, she opened her eyes for a moment, and pulled away. When he felt Elena shift, Gabe pulled back and looked down at her, concerned. When he turned his head in the same direction as she did, the pair gasped. Before they could do much else, the two found themselves knocked under the water. For a few seconds, they were completely submerged, before they managed to find their footing and push back up to the surface.

Gabe just so happened to reach the surface first, so when Elena was no where to be found, he instinctively feared the worst. Just as he was about to dive back into the water, Elena reached the surface to catch her breath. Before Gabe could quickly wrap his arms around her to make sure she was okay, she started to laugh. Gabe couldn’t believe her, she had practically just drowned, how could she be laughing at a time like this? Unfortunately for Gabe, though, Elena's laugh was quite infectious. If she was laughing, she had to be okay. So, Gabe started to laugh a bit himself.

"I think that's enough ocean for us today." he said through his laughs.

"Maybe so!" Elena agreed with a laugh as well. "How about we head a bit closer to shore?"

"Now that sounds a bit safer, I'm not almost losing you to a wave again!" Gabe joked.

For the next couple of hours, the four amigos had a wonderful time at the beach. They spent plenty of time on the water, had a quick lunch on the shore, bathed in the sun (or under the umbrella, in Mateo's case), and just spent a bit of time talking to one another, about things that didn't have to do with their usual tasks. They were able to spend the day as just a regular group of friends, not a crown princess, royal wizard or guard, and grand councilwoman. The group began to pack up as it began to reach high tide, but their day wasn't over just yet.

The amigos left most of their things back in the carriage before heading across the street to the boardwalk. There was certainly plenty to do, it'd be practically impossible to do it all in one day! But, they decided on the arcade for their first stop, and something immediately caught Elena's eye as they walked in.

"Awww, how cute is this?" she asked the group, pointing up to a yellow and pink jaquin plush hanging on the wall, amongst other prizes to win. "It's just so soft and cuddly..I've got to take that thing home!"

Gabe was not going to let his girlfriend go home without this jaquin, he was determined that he was going to win it for her. It cost a decent amount of tickets, but if he timed it right, it was achievable.

Naomi had already headed over to an air hockey table, and was standing at the ready. "Alright, who wants to try and best me?" she asked. "You know, when I was eight, I beat my whole crew at an arcade in Corinthia."

Gabe raised an eyebrow at her, a spark of determination in his eye. "You're on, Miss Turner." he said.

Determined to bring Elena home a little jaquin, when Naomi won the first match 7-5, Gabe wasn't giving up that easily. Best two out of three soon turned into three out of five, and while Gabe did manage to win a game or two, Naomi came out as the victor, and with a good sum of tickets to show for it. Knowing he probably didn't stand a chance against her, he moved onto another game.

Meanwhile, Elena had been trying out a variety of different games, some she was pretty good at, others she could barely get through a round without getting frustrated at. As much as she really wanted the adorable jaquin plush, all she really wanted was to have fun with her friends. If she left the arcade with a tiny little prize, so be it. She then got herself dragged into a game of air hockey with Naomi, which grew just as competitive as her previous matches with Gabe.

After spending a good hour or two at the arcade, the amigos were in need of a change of scenery. Competition certainly got tiring after a while! But, before they moved on, they had to pick out their prizes! Gabe sighed as he received his final number of tickets, he was only twenty short of Elena's beloved jaquin. He didn't even want to think of her disappointed face when she learned of this. He looked around, was there anything else she might love just as much? But, before he could make a decision, he noticed Elena approaching him.

"Elena, I-" he began to say, ready to apologize for not being able to win her the jaquin. But before he could, Elena pulled something out from behind her back. It was a small plastic sword, similar to one a royal guard might carry, only on a smaller scale.

"This is for you!" she said, holding it out to him with a smile. "Now you can protect me for the rest of the day with this!" she joked.

Gabe couldn't help but smile and laugh, he certainly appreciated the thought. He looked over the sword as she passed it over to him, and then began to try out a couple of moves with it.

"Wow, I've got to say, this is better than my captain's sword back at the palace!" he joked. "I think we should replace our standard issue swords with these ones!"

Elena smiled and laughed as well as Gabe 'tried out' his new sword. "I agree, the ones we have now are just too big and bulky, don't you think?" she joked.

"Oh, absolutely." Gabe agreed with a laugh. "Or maybe, I'll pull this out at our next fencing practice, you won't be able to beat me then!"

"Unfortunately, these swords here are quite pricey, I only had enough tickets for one!" Elena replied. "Well, enough for one and a handful of candy." she added, showing him a couple of pieces of candy she had received as well.

The thought of tickets reminded Gabe of what Elena truly wanted, the jaquin plush. He knew that even though she was excited with her purchase for him, she'd definitely notice the jaquin on their way out, and she'd be so disappointed to be leaving without it. So, he knew he just had to be honest with her.

"Speaking of that, I tried to win you that jaquin, since I knew you really wanted it.." he explained. "But unfortunately, I came a few tickets short of being able to win it for you, I'm sorry."

Before Elena could tell Gabe that it was alright, she was cut off by a female voice.

"One adorable jaquin plush for my beloved princess!" Naomi said, jokingly bowing to Elena, with the prized pink and yellow jaquin in her arms.

Elena gasped with delight, and held the plushie tight once Naomi handed it over to her. It was even softer, and cuddlier, and more adorable in person! Her day was already great as it was, but this just made it that much better! She wrapped Naomi in a hug and thanked her, she was just so excited to have it.

Gabe couldn't help but sigh when he realized that he wasn't the one to win Elena the jaquin, but those feelings quickly faded when he saw how Elena's face just lit up at the sight of it. He tried his best to make this day great for her, but hey, she still got that jaquin! Besides, he knew how she smiled as she took in the sights of the beach, how she laughed as they were both knocked down by a wave, Elena was having a great day for herself no matter what, jaquin or not. And that's what mattered most.

Their next stop was the carousel, the final remaining attraction of Parque de la Perfección. Elena was also looking forward to this, since she had so many memories of riding this very carousel as a child. She remembered her parents mentioning how once they got her on, it was hard to get her off! She especially used to love when Isabel would ride on the horse beside her, and her father would stand between the two, closely watching to see which one of his daughters would ‘win the race’. Elena smiled remembering her parents, she did miss them very much. Though she missed those days, now she was here to make new memories with her best friends, and she couldn’t wait.

As the four of them stepped onto the ride, Elena immediately went searching for a very specific horse. She quickly walked through the rows and rows of them, until finally, she came across the one she was looking for.

“Moteada!” she exclaimed, and hopped onto a small black and white spotted horse.

“Mote-huh?” Naomi asked.

“Moteada!” Elena repeated. “This was the horse I rode on almost every single time I visited as a kid, she was my favorite for some reason! I called her Moteada due to her spots.” she explained.

“That’s cute, I’m glad you could ride her again today!” Naomi replied with a smile, before setting her sights on a large, chestnut brown horse in the same row. “I call the big one!” she called, hopping aboard it.

Elena laughed softly as Naomi grabbed onto the leather ‘reins’ on the horse, sitting up straight and tall. She jokingly waved around, as if she were the most important being on the biggest horse. Mateo was seated atop a grey horse beside Naomi, all four amigos seated right in the same row.

Of course, Gabe was going to be right next to his Elena, so he hopped onto a beige horse beside her. He smiled as Elena took her new jaquin friend and placed it right in front of her, as if they were going for a ride too.

When a bell sounded to signal that their ride was about to begin, Elena felt like she was a child again. It were almost as if she was back here for a beach day with her family, racing to sit atop Moteada before anyone else reached her, giggling with her sister as they each neared ‘the finish line’, and waving to her mother, it felt like nothing had changed.

Gabe knew they’d have to plan beach days like this more often, since this was the happiest he’d seen Elena in a while. Not that Elena wasn’t an overall happy person, you’d always come across her walking down the hall with a smile. But something about today was different, maybe due to the nostalgia this day brought her. Regardless, Gabe couldn’t get enough of seeing Elena’s beautiful face light up with a smile, he couldn’t help but smile as well glancing over at her.

When Elena turned her head to the side for a moment, she noticed Gabe smiling over at her. So, she reached over towards him and pulled him in for a kiss. She pulled back a moment later with a soft laugh, giving him a look of so much love. There wasn’t anyone else she’d rather be sharing these moments with, and she couldn’t wait to create many more memories just like this with him in the future.

A couple of minutes later, their ride was gradually slowing down. Once it had come to a complete stop, Elena’s horse just so happened to have stopped at the highest height possible. She looked down and laughed to herself, even though she was that many years older and that much taller than she was on her last ride, it was still quite a ways down for her!

“Well, this’ll be quite the fall!” she joked to herself, as she began to swing one leg over to hop down.

But, before she could let go of the pole, she felt a pair of hands around her waist, which lifted her up, and placed her softly onto the ground. Elena turned around to see that it was none other than Gabe who softened her landing. She smiled and pulled him in for a quick thank you kiss, before following Naomi and Mateo off of the ride.

To end their day, the four amigos sat along the sea wall with an ice cream, admiring the view as they enjoyed a refreshing treat. Gabe wrapped his arm around Elena and held her close, as she rested her head on his shoulder. Their conversation was filled with their favorite parts of the day, which would continue on as they walked back towards the carriage. Elena loved each aspect of their day, but she had to admit, what she loved the most was her adorable new jaquin plushie. Oh, and being able to spend a fun and relaxing day with her closest friends, and of course, her Gabe, was pretty nice too.

[sons-of-the-morning-star]

DISCLAIMER FOR ANY SENSITIVE READERS: This series is going to deal with heavy topics like abandonment, death, guilt, grief, and a lot of other stuff; this first chapter in particular is probably going to be pretty heavy for the same reason.

I will be writing this is present tense and will be constantly be saying, "if this was a show, this would happen or this is what we see," both because I originally thought of it as a show and because this is a screenplay, but more narratively cohesive.

Got that? GREAT!!!

Let's dive in!!!!!!!!!

Chapter/Episode 1: Union- Part 1

We start off in darkness with the sound of crackling fire in the background. One by one, a red light shines and silhouettes five figures, all standing in a circle as they face each other. If this was a show, the camera would be behind one of these figures as he and the other figures eye each other.

He starts a fire in his hand and two figures bristle while the other two back away-

An alarm clock blares out and we cut to a dark bedroom in a hotel suite, like the sound of the alarm woke US up, along with the character sleeping, who groans as his alarm keeps blaring.

After MAYBE the fifth chime, he sighs and slaps the alarm clock off, his arm slipping down his nightstand and droppong to the side of his bed.

His hand curls into a fist as the door is knocked on.

"Mr. Wagner? Are you awake yet?"

Yes! We start with our boy Lucius Wagner!

Lucius loudly humms, "Mm-hm" and sits up.

"You have an interview at nine', a meeting at a quarter to noon, and a conference at five'. Looks like another busy day."

He hears the person- man, woman, it doesn't matter- walk away and stands up from his bed to pull the curtain to his room back only to wince when the light hits his face.

It's too early for the sun to be so bright.

Despite being tired and not wanting to write to people because he can't talk, Lucius gets ready for his day.

Back to what we'd see if this was a show: the camera would be on Lucius as he stares out at the city before he takes a deep breath and turns away. Jump cut to the camera behind and away from Lucius as he turns and walks to the bathroom, turning on the TV before he starts getting ready, more specifically the news.

The camera stays on the TV as we learn Lucius, despite his young age of 22, is running for senator just like his human father did, but he is more successful because not only has crime rate already decreased, but any political opponents he goes against stepped down within minutes of the debate or conference he's in. With no evidence of bribery or any other scandal involved, as criminals are being found dead, one being brought up in todays broadcadt, Lucius is on his way to becoming Sentator of not only Massachusetts, but of the United States as a whole.

We do a transition from Lucius's room to the scene where the camera zooms in on the TV screen as it shows a body under a blanket and we hear the click of a camera and the lens shutters close and open.

On the streets, we now follow Damien Thorn as he gets as close as he can to the scene and the body. He has been investigating these 'accidents' since the arrival of everyone's favorite new politician, who has never spoken a word on camera, never said anything to or against his opponents, and never spoke during interviews. And somehow he's running for senator. Since it seems fishy to him, and because he keeps getting a sick feeling in his stomach when he sees Lucius on the news, he decided to start digging by tracing the criminals who have died and anyone who stepped down from conferences.

The body he is investigating today is a fisher from the town Lucius grew up in, who was charged for numerous cases of assault and fraud.

He is stopped by a police officer when he tries to cross the police tape.

"Sorry, that's close enough."

"It's for the paper. People want to know what's going on."

"They don't need to see this."

Damien scowls as his eyes go black, uttering a "sorry" as he stares the officer down.

The officer's face goes expressionless and just as he lifts the tape, the announcer gets a breaking report.

"This just in! An earthquake near the United Kingdoms has caused the south western quarter of England and Wales to be flooded and taken out to sea!"

Cut back to Lucius in his room as he chokes and gags on his toothbrush; if you've ever hit the back of your tongue while brushing your teeth, you'll get why he gags. He walks out, mouth kind of full of toothpaste and his toothbrush in his teeth, and sees an over head view of the map, showing just how much of England has been wiped out.

For context, here is what was taken out, circled in red⬇️⬇️

Lucius's eyes widen as he takes out his toothbrush.

I'm not good with fractions, but a third or fifth of England is now gone. And-

"While it is right now unknown how many are injured or missing, authorities have reported countless victims were lost in the catastrophe."

Lucius turns off the TV and finishes getting ready, a time jump/transition of Lucius going to the bathroom to spit out the toothpaste and then transitioning to him looking up from washing his face, like he leans down to spit out the toothpaste wearing no shirt and with some shower head, but when he leans back up, he's in a black dress shirt, about to tie his tie, his hair is tidy, and he is rubbing his face dry with a towel.

Part of England gone. Just like that.

It's a pretty shocking thing to imagine, with possibly hundreds or thousands of people being wiped out in the blink of an eye and the cause somehow being an earthquake.

Seems sort of fishy, if you ask me.

Lucius tries shrugging it off as he leaves his room, dressed to impress, and heads out for breakfast and his interview.

Cut to a pair of men walking on the sidewalk, the white-blonde haired one panicked and finicky while his red haired partner is swaggering beside him with a briefcase. The more brightly dressed man keeps "oh"-ing and whimpering , which is driving his more darkly attired kind of insane.

An angel and a demon.

If you've seen Good Omens, you KNOW who there two are

"Angel, stop muttering. You sound like you're summoning Satan himself."

"What if we can't find him? And what if he says 'no?'"

"We'll make him say 'yes.'"

Aziraphale looks down at the briefcase and then nods.

"And just how are we going to find him?"

"We found the antichrist once. We can find him again."

Aziraphale stops and gives him a withering look.

"Another one. We can find another one."

SPEAKING OF THE DEVIL'S SON!!!

Just as the two continue, they bump into a certain photographer that makes Aziraphale shudder like he's just gotten into an ice bath and Crowley smell either blood or smoke.

This wasn't what Crowley had in mind, but it's a start.

"Oi! 'Scuse me!"

Damien turns as he keeps walking. "Sorry, I have to hurry to..."

Aziraphale now starts trembling and Damien gets a sick feeling in his stomach, not like with seeing Lucius, like he has an air bubble in his stomach or really bad period cramps.

Crowley narrows his eyes behind his sunglasses and steps closer.

"Where you off to so quickly?"

Damien fights a gag as he continues to back away. "I-Interview. Wagner's see-seeing someone. Im-Important for the news."

Crowley steps closer and pulls Damien close by his color, making Damien pale and fall to his knees.

"Lucius Wagner?"

Damien nods.

Aziraphale and Crowley exchange glances before looking back at Damien, Aziraphale taking the briefcase away so Damien can recompose himself.

Cut to Lucius in the middle of his interview, which is being recorded on the news. So far he has been asked the basic political questions and he gave the correct answers to get people to love him. Then comes in ANOTHER breaking news report.

Part of California, Arizona, and New Mexico has also been flooded, but there aren't as many people missing as England.

"Mr. Wagner? How do you see yourself helping the families that are now broken by this tragedy?"

Before Lucius can answer, two people catch his eye.

Like when Damien saw him, Lucius gets a sick feeling in his stomach until he sees two young men, one scowling with wavy blond hair and the other with brown hair and the giddiest smile on a boy.

Suddenly, a member of the crowd pulls a gun out and shoots at Lucius, who throws himself and the woman he's interviewing with to the ground.

The blond smirks and the brunette grows angry.

The shooter gets a look of pure despair on his face as he drops to his knees letting the police drag him away.

Lucius is escorted away instead gets a call.

His schedule has changed completely. He must now go a military base, where a private jet is waiting for him to take him home; his address is classified to the public, so no one knows where he lives.

Cut to Lucius walking through a crowd as he tries to get to his jet, trying his best to wave at the paparazzi and camera people.

"Mr. Wagner, if you'll let me ask you-"

The man who asked grabs Lucius's arm and the two meet eyes. You know that part of the forst Lucius game where time freezes and you see your target with the screen tinted red? Lucius and Damien met eyes and time freezes entirely as they stare at each other and feel the growing urge to kill each other.

They don't hear anyone or anything. They only see each other.

Both are wide eyed as they realize who or what the other is and glare at each other.

Luckily, a body guard punches Damien away and helps Lucius to the jet, where he takes his seat and lets out a breath as he loosens his tie and tips his head back.

"So sorry for all that, Mr. Wagner, sir."

Lucius looks over to see someone like an air flight attendant and writes them a message.

'Don't worry about it. I've had worse happen.'

"Well, at least you're headong home, after all this."

Lucius nods and leans back once more, getting comfortable for his flight to home sweet home.

It's a relatively short flight, mostly because we'd see a timelapse of the sky and Lucius napping in his seat before we cut to him in his house.

Being a senator in the running, Lucius is on a very nice house, one he keeps clean and well furnished. Think Lucifer's penthouse in the shiw Licifer, but it's an actual house and doesn't have a wall of alcohol, just a small cabinet in his parlor and shelf in his fridge.

He turns on a light and nearly jumps out of his skin when he sees Crowley sitting in his living room.

"Hello, Me. Wagner. Nice flight?"

Lucius recomposes himself and raises an eyebrow as he holds a hand out. 'How did you get in here?'

"Just a bit of miracle work from a demon. Takes one to know one, right?"

Lucius takes a seat as he writes a message, showing it to Crowley with narrow eyes.

'I don't exactly know who you are, but you don't have the right to make an accusation like that.'

"You're one of the sons of Satan, I'm pretty sure I do."

'My father was Charles Wagner.'

"Ah, yes, the loon that killed your mother and his own staff while you were sent to the nut house."

'He tried to kill me.'

"Eye for an eye, you prat."

Lucius's eye twitches as he snaps his pen in half, eyes going red.

Crowley only smirks and removes his sunglasses, revealing his snake eyes, befire putting them back on; the lights Lucius has are bright.

Lucius settles and grabs another pen from the coffee table and writes a new message.

'Antony J. Crowley? It's about time London's famed has paid the US a visit.'

"You would think." Crowley leans forward until his elbiws are on his knees. "Look, you're not going to like this, but there's something we need your help with."

Lucius gets up and shakes his head before leaving a messge on the table, and to go the the kitchen to get a drink; like hell he's dealing with CROWLEY sober.

'I don't know if you've noticed, but I have a country I'll be running soon. I don't exactly have time to help you or your pet angel.'

Crowley snarls and follows Lucius to see the young man about to take a sip of a drink.

"Don't you think it's weird that parts of England and America are just gone? That the ocean just took them away and an earthquake was the cause?"

Lucius pauses and lowers his drink slightly, eyes on Crowley as he nods and gestures for the snake eyed demon to continue.

'I'm listening.'

And that will be it for part 1 of Chapter/Episode 1!!!! Man, was this fun to write!!!! Like I said, this is just part 1 and I will be continuing with Chapter/Episode 1 Part 2, I promise!

Sorry for all the yelling, I'm really excited!!

Thank you all so much for reading this and I hope you all have a happy and safe holiday season!!!

[indigobackfire]

Phoenix needs help studying History of Magic. Well, not really but if that'll be enough to get a moment alone with Ismelda, he's willing to play along.

Where Phoenix tries to convince Ismelda to help him study HoM.

This has been sitting in my drafts for a while and now I've decided it's time for it to see the light. Not my best writing and pretty short, just Phoenix being a clown.

Note: when I mention the sunglasses, I have Crowley's from Good Omens in mind.

Phoenix sucks in a deep breath watching by the doors the low but considerable movement in the Clocktower Courtyard, but none of those other people mattered, not to him nor to her — it's risky but it's worth a try. He wasn't going to call her on a date, that word wouldn't dare to leave his mouth, but it feels just like it. It's sunny, so to catch Ismelda outside was a rare occasion.

They aren't friends exactly, and colleagues wouldn't suit them either, but she didn't seem to hate him... that much, and if he had any intention to ever attempt to make a move, he had to get himself to be considered at least a friend.

He wipes his sweaty hands on his jeans and hopes his hair still looks as put together as it did when he left his dorm that morning.

Phoenix hasn't ever been left this nervous by a girl, but Ismelda wasn't any girl — she's the most unreachable, hostile, and aggressive girl he knew, but also the one he's inexplicably enamored with. It was beyond what he could put into words, but whenever she was near or her name was mentioned, he felt his chest going hollow and a heat took over his face.

She was so very much herself and shameless about it and he loved that, she was the darkness in which inhabited terribly mesmerizing things and he was eager to dive into it.

He shoves his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt and tries, as casually as he can, to walk into the courtyard in her general direction who's sitting sideways by the fountain, small rounded sunglasses on her face and a leather-bound notebook open in her hands, biting her lip, focused on the page.

Once he's close enough, he acts as if he had just seen her there. "Oh, Ismelda? Hey."

She looks up at him with a frown at his friendly tone. "Nobleworth."

He crosses his arms and rests his back on the pillar. "What ye reading?"

"My potions notes."

"Oh nice, cool, potions." He peeks over her shoulder, too far to be able to read. "You have uhm... pretty nice handwriting."

She shuts the notebook closed and brings her sunglasses to her hair. "What do you want from me, Phoenix?"

He goes blank for a second with her saying his name and her stare, her dark green eyes exposing brown flecks under the light of the sun. He only recollects his thoughts when she moves. "I was thinking... nah, forget it."

She brings her legs down. "Ugh, just say it before I run out of patience."

"Nae, you'll just mock me for it. I better—"

"I'll mock you either way. Just spit it out."

"Fine." He sits beside her keeping a palm's worth of distance between them. "So, ah dinnae ken if it's true... but I've heard that you're good at History of Magic. I might've misheard—"

"Yeah, you've misheard. I'm not good."

Phoenix freezes in place, Oh, Merlin! What do I say now? "Oh, well—"

She smirks. "I'm the best at History of Magic."

Phoenix lets out a sigh that even Ismelda notices. "Uhm, you scared me there for a second."

She shrugs, proud of herself. "I do that sometimes. So? Just came here to tell me that? My time is precious, Nobleworth."

He chuckles amused, knowing very well she's prone to procrastinating and kips and wasting time, the only reason her proficiency at History could be even considered to be rumor was the fact she never stayed awake for a single class, but Phoenix was attentive and kept a careful eye at her grades, all her essays aced, and one time he managed to peek at her parchment, he noticed the eloquence and conviction with which she wrote about the Witch Hunts and its ramifications, one of the most extensive and difficult subjects in his opinion.

"No, no, not just that," he continues with a better-humored air. "Based on that, now confirmed, fact, I was wondering if you maybe could help me with History of Magic. You know how soul-sucking Binns' class can be—"

Ismelda bursts out laughing and is so unexpected to Phoenix, he can only open an ear-to-ear smile and watch as she laughs. It was a rare sighting and Phoenix noted the deep, musical tone her laugh had, trying to store it in his brain cause he knows it'll be a long while until he hears it again. But then it hits him, she's either laughing at the joke or at his request... and just like that, his smile is gone.

"Soul-sucking, that's a good one Nobleworth. So History of Magic is equivalent to being kissed by a dementor to you?"

"With Binns teaching, yes. If you could help me..."

She crosses her arms. "Why not go to the Khannas? You're friends."

"Rowan is always running around with Indigo, she won't be able to help me and Rowen is, uhm, busy helping... Tonks. Ye ken she's always playing during class and OWLs are later this year, she wants to become an Auror and for that she'll—"

"Alright, I got it." She takes a deep breath. "There's just one thing, you don't need my help."

He gives her a puzzled look. "I do? That's why I'm asking."

"But after me and the Khannas, you're one of the best in History of Magic in our class. What? I might be sleeping but I can still hear what's going on and you're one the few making questions, the type of questions only someone who knows what's being taught could ask."

Phoenix couldn't refute, he wasn't bad at History of Magic, at all. Most times he simply allowed himself to drift away by Binns' entrancing voice and tried to immerse himself in the history being discoursed, then it was easy comprehending it all. But it wasn't like she could help him with potions or arithmancy, subjects he actually needed help with, History was her passion and the safest way to try and reach her.

"Yes, but now I need help. With the Statue of Secrecy and the Warlock Convention... I mean these aren't as fun as Giant Wars or Witch Hunts."

Phoenix can see a shadow of a smile on the corner of her lips. "Can't say I don't agree with you." She drums her nails on the cover of her notebook. "Fine, I'll help you study for History."

Her voice had softened and a silly smile grows on his lips. "Thanks, Ismelda, that means a lot."

"But don't tell anyone, not only I got a reputation to maintain, people start using you when you get nice."

"Give an inch, they'll take a mile... ah ken how it goes, I've been there."

"That's because you're too nice. But I'll help you because you're one of the very very few that doesn't look at me as if I'm a vermin and doesn't treat me like rubbish."

"I'd never do that," he says with a firm voice, turning to her.

"I hope so, or else you're not getting my help. Right, I had enough sun for a week." She gets up pulling her sunglasses back down. "At the library tomorrow? After lunch." He nods. "I'll be at the History section waiting for you, don't bring any friends."

He smiles with a subtly air of naughtiness. "I won't."

[nothingbutfangirlsmut]

The Trials of Emi

Pairing: A little Minho. A sprinkle of Frypan. Gally x Emi(OC)

Summary: Emi, her twin brother Thomas, and a small group of gladers had been rescued and taken to a safe haven. Or so it seemed. It doesn't take long for Thomas to realize something is wrong. What happens next is a true trial for all of them but Emi's trials began the moment she was ripped away from a dying Gally. Watching someone you love die right before your eyes truly takes a toll.

Finally meeting the right arm could have been the end but betrayal leads to even more chaos and loss. A new mission to rescue those taken from them leads them to a city. The last city. After Emi finally comes to terms with everything that's happened something unfolds that changes everything again. She will have to not only deal with helping her brother take down WCKD and save their friend but also deal with all the new problems in her head and her heart.

Rating: As of right now it’s at most PG13. Some strong language that’s about it but it could change.

(This is the 2nd part/book to my other story "The Maze trials: A Gally Fanfiction". This will cover the events of the scorch trails and the death cure.)

Chapter Five

The bright sun of the glade felt good on my skin. I didn't realize how much I missed this feeling. I was standing alone in the middle of the glade just looking around. The door of the homestead opened revealing a smiling Gally. He ran over to me quickly. He picked me up in his arms squeezing me against him.

"I miss you," I whispered.

He let go of me and stepped back. His hands grabbed each side of my face. He smiled at me.

"It's okay to miss me but don't stop living Emi. I want you to be happy. That's all I've ever wanted. Whatever it takes." He spoke softly as his thumbs rubbed my cheeks.

"How am I suppose to be happy again?" I asked him.

He chuckled softly.

"You'll have to figure that out my dear. Remember I will always love you." He kissed my forehead.

He started to walk away back to the homestead. He stopped about halfway then turned back to me.

"And Emi, don't stop talking to them. Don't drown yourself like that. They need you and you need them." He waved then disappeared.

"Hey! Hey! Get outta here!" Thomas shouted waking up the group.

I woke up practically laying on top of Minho. One of his arms was draped around me. I was using his chest as a pillow. I looked up seeing him now awake too.

"Good morning" he said with a smile.

I scoffed and pushed myself away from him. Pain shot through me reminding me of my open wound. I looked down to check it seeing even more blood. Some of it had gotten onto Minho while we slept. I watched Thomas slowly stand up. He turned in a circle taking in our surroundings.

"Are they gone?" Newt asked.

"Yea, we're safe for now. We should get moving. Let's pack it up." Thomas said bending down to get his bag.

Minho tried getting my attention but I was already on my feet walking towards Newt. I can't believe he let that happen. He knows how mad I am at him.

"Aris, Fry, Winston come on get up," Thomas said.

Winston groaned in pain. He looked like he was panting. Fry bent down and gave his hand to the boy to help him up. We started climbing out of whatever we had found ourselves in. At the top of the broken building I saw the most incredible yet terrifying thing. An entire city that looked like it had been blown to pieces. It looked old like it was abandoned a very long time ago. We began our trek through the open path between all the mountain-sized buildings.

"What the hell happened to this place?" Fry asked after a while of walking.

"I don't know. It looks like no one has been here for a long time." Newt answered looking up at the buildings.

"I hope the whole world s'not like this," Aris added.

"Woah, hang on stop," Thomas ordered suddenly from the back of the group.

We all stopped immediately turning to look at him. He seemed to be concentrating or listening to something.

"You hear that?" He asked looking up to all of us.

We all stood motionless trying to hear what he was hearing. Just as I started to think he was going mad I heard it.

"Everybody get down! Hide! Hide!" Thomas shouted.

We all ran diving under a large piece of concrete. It was big enough for each of us to crouch under without being seen. The sound grew louder and louder until it was directly over us. As the three aircrafts passed there was no doubt in my mind that they were WCKD.

"Their never gonna stop looking for us are they?" Minho asked.

Once they were gone we climbed back out. Thomas led on to a large hill of rubble. He started climbing.

"Everyone good?" He asked once we were about halfway up.

I heard coughing behind me. I turned to see Winston not looking so good. He took a deep breath then continued on. I tried to stay close just to keep an eye on him. We climbed over another sand dune. At the top we could see for what looked like miles. In the far distance, I saw the mountains.

"Mountains, that's gotta be it. That's where we're going." Thomas said.

"That's a long way off," Newt stated simply.

Beside me Winston seemed to be having trouble again. He pulled his bag off himself while breathing heavily. Before I knew what happened he took one step then fell face-first into the sand.

"Winston!" Thomas and I shouted in unison.

All of us dropped to our knees around him. He looked bad. Pale and sweaty. It definitely looked like he could be running a fever. I grabbed the boy's face turning him over. His breathing was ragged and sharp. A few of the boys called his name trying to get him to open his eyes or say something.

"What do we do?" Teresa asked looking around at us.

Without a word I stood grabbing Fry to help me. We quickly gathered material and roped together a way to carry Winston with us. It was slightly harder for me to do this with the use of one hand. My other arm hadn't stopped burning since I had woken up. Once it was made and we laid Winston on it Fry and Minho took the first turn pulling him.

We kept walking. On and on threw the sand. Some of the old ruins were breathtaking. It seemed to get harder to carry Winston with each step we took. It got worse when the wind picked up choking and blinding us with sand. We found shelter to wait it out and take a breath.

At that shelter Thomas and Teresa stood on top of one of the dunes talking. I noticed Newt constantly glancing towards them. I wish I could say something to help him out. I could tell Thomas didn't look at Teresa the same way he did Newt. There was affection in his eyes every time he looked or spoke of Newt. When it came to Teresa he was more curious. She was the connection to his lost memories. He needed her to remember what he had forgotten.

A loud shot rang out making me jump and grab the closest person to me which, my luck, it was Minho. Winston had woke up and immediately grabbed the gun. He was now in seriously bad shape.

"I'm not gonna make it," Winston said quietly.

We all just looked at him. What could we say? We all knew how bad he looked. We all had the same thought he just spoke but he was apart of our family. We had to try to get him to safety.

"Please, don't let me turn into one of those things." He begged reaching for the gun Fry was holding.

Newt silently took the gun from Fry then gave it to Winston. I would have done the same if I wasn't frozen in shock.

"Thank you. Now, get out of here." Winston said softly.

We packed our things leaving Winston behind with the gun like he wanted. We made it to the other side of the sand dune when the shot rang out. I jumped letting my tears spill over down my cheeks. Another one of us gone. Another glader. We kept moving knowing we had to. There was nothing else we could do.

That night when we made shelter I sat between Minho and Teresa by the fire. My tears were still falling in a steady stream. Minho had been cutting up a piece of wood for a while but decided to put it down. He scooted a little closer to me. He silently wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his chest. At this point I didn't care about him touching me or being close to me. I just wanted to cry. I needed my moment to mourn another friend.

The next day we moved on. Always moving. It seemed like the more we walked the farther the mountains got. Our water started running out but we kept going. We were too far to turn back now. We had no actual shelter when night came so we all made our peace with the hard ground and eventually fell asleep.

—

[mcshiiin]

Title: Not My Energy

Pairings: KageHina

Sypnosis: A short, sad songfic about the two where Hinata lost his ability to fly

Song used: Not my Energy by IV of Spades

[A/n: Thank you for reading! I hope u enjoy huhu]

"I've ran out of reasons, reasons to comfort my mind."

Harbingers of daybreak busted his windows open. With gleaming dark eyes and sleek black talons, a crow stared straight to his soul. A sudden prickling sensation running from his toes began clobbering his body, rendering him paralyzed. Panting... Gasping... Drowning his mind in a sea of sorrow.

"Illusions, delusions. Confusions are running inside."

Hinata, despite sinking down the shallow waters feels as if he's floating mid-ar, going "boing boing". Slowly plummeting down the sea floor, he never hit the bottom. Instead, he landed rather harshly on the plywood surface of the gym. A familiar stinging pain on his palm smiled at him viciously. Taken aback, he grabbed his thumping, hollow chest and inhaled as much air as he could. An unforgiving force clashed against his torso, almost obliteraring him before the ceiling collapsed.

"Pale lips and dark lies has conquered the dreamer's eyes."

Poring dreamily at the honey glazed tree tops with hooded eyes, a sigh escaped from his drought ridden lips. While licking away the parchness on his lips, a worried yet kind gaze cut through him from the opened door.

"Sho-kun, you're going to be alright. Don't worry sweetie, we're here for you."

"Nii-chan! Hang in there. I love you!"

The warmth from his sister's hug dissipated into thin air. The soft caress from his Mom ghosted above his puffed out cheeks. Forcing his lips to curl upwards, he fooled them. Just as how their words of affirmation and consolidation were mere lies to comfort him.

" 'Cause there is something in those eyes I can never find, boy."

"Hinata boke..."

Shoyo swore Kageyama's voice were softer than ever. Terrified to face him, the bed ridden boy looked away. His bones shaking. His muscles tensed up.

"I don't want to dive in those same steel blue orbs..."

He kept his mouth silent. He kept his resolve solid. Then it crumbled down.

A feverish touch was ignited from Kageyama's fingertips grazing atop Hinata's trembling hand. The setter is careful enough not to break him, delicately and softly, he slid his hand and interwined it with his partner's. Shoyo's ribcage shattered, his throbbing heart and strained heartstrings tore it down.

His orbs stung with pain as he stared back at steel blue ones.

"I'm sick and tired of the noices, the voices. Everything seems magical."

"We're here for you, Hinata."

"Call us anytime!"

"I'm sure everything will be figured out by the adults. Cheer up, Hinata!"

"Let's buy popsicles when you're discharged, ne Shoyo?"

"Here's some food for you, eat up. You're getting thinner. Ne? I'm the best senpai aren't I?"

"gET WELL SOON AND WE'LL PRAY FOR YOU!"

"Don't worry too much. Idiots don't get sick, tch."

"Tsukki's right, you'll be okay, Hinata."

"I--no we, are here for you. Don't worry about catching up to class, I can teach you anytime!"

"Get some rest and take care please."

"I won't bother you with my words, Hinata-kun. You'll be okay, I'll pray for it."

"Rest up well, kid."

Everything and everyone seemed to pass by in a blur. Their faces muddled together like a murky pond. Indis​cern​ible. Chafing. Quaint. As if it never happened, as if he never heard anything.

"I'm sorry but there's nothing that we can do..."

"D-doctor no-!"

What? He heard nothing. His mother's face didn't crumple to despair. Her hands didn't ball into a fist. Her lips did not quiver. She never looked at him with those eyes.

No. Natsu is a sweet and clingy sister, her hugging him to death is nothing. She always said that his hands are rough, calloused, and big. They're also warm, and emollient. Maybe that's why she's holding it tight. Oh? Natsu is drooling. He chuckled, overseeing the shuddering figure of his dear sister.

 

Such an ethereal dream it is.

"And yes, my mind is awakened, dead conscience. Eveyday's a torture for me."

Panting heavily whilst swimming in a sea if sweat, Shoyo is wide awake. But, awake from what? Running away from what, his reality or his nightmares? Scampering to and fro, for what? Just to slam his head on a rock, trying to shake his dreams up.

He doesn't know what's hounding hin anymore.

He run a hand through his thick tuft of hair, unable to get back to sleep. A frown creeping up on his lips as he tries to pry his gaze to his legs. His world stilled. His breathing stopped. His mind blown to smithereens.

It hurts. The seering pain from mid-thigh down to his calf. It hurts, so he screamed.

"No I am not holding on to the darkness, 'cause you're already in my mind."

Natsu must be lying, his hands isn't big at all! She probably hasn't seen Kageyama's slender, setter hands. They look also pretty. Tobio's obviously taking good care of it, he bet that he goes as far as taking it to the nail salon. He's both dilligent and an idiot. He wants himself to be in a perfect condition so he can exert his best every game.

Shoyo wonders what lotion his setter is using. He want to buy one for himself too. How irksome it is to look at your partner's long fingers, perfectly groomed nails (it must be nice to have a manicure once), and mosturized, vanilla scented palms whilst yours is anything like that.

"Hmm spacing out?"

Tobio snaked his arms to his frail waist. Nudging his face deep into Shoyo's neck. So warm. So cool. So comfortable. Too real.

"Nah, I'm barely hanging."

"And if you would walk alone, then just do it. The clock is ticking backwards."

A tall, tall wall looms before him. The view from the top. He wants to see it. But he never can, unless alone.

And now, he's more alone than ever.

"Onigiri, pork buns, curry, what do you want honey?"

He's out in the cold again. Jumping higher, digging deeper, receiving with his face to no end. Wheezing as his body thrives, playing as his blood pulsiates. His heart more alive than before. His grin toothier than before. Hinata Shoyo loving too hard ever than before.

The pure joy from he gets from being with the team. The steam he emitts whenever Tsukishima pushes his buttons as Yamaguchi fell in line with laughing at him. The always fidgetty Yachi and Asahi-san. His superb senpais. That reminds him, he need to ask Nishinoya-senpai to teach him the rolling thunder double. The hardworking second years, the goddess Kiyoko-san, everyone. Even Daichi-san's roaring voice along with Suga-san's refreshing smile.

And of course, the skull-crusher milk boy who knows no word except Boke.

"I'm going alone."

"I ain't got it all, I don't care. You're not my energy."

Extending his arms, reaching with his hands, everyone is too far away.

Lying awake for hours, figuring how to run, how to fly.

Then, his bed decided to swallow him up.

A stringent touch engulfed his throat that produced an acrid cry from his mouth. The need for air is urgent, but his compressed windpipes aches with the mere presence of oxygen flowing through. For a second he thought the hold loosen, then his limbs. were vehemently ripped apart.

As blood splattered, his lower region were mangled.

"Your tears are in laughter while your smile is in despair."

Happiness looks good in Kageyama and Natsu. No doubt, hands down, bets raised.

Their carefree laughter bounced off the four walls of his room. Pearly white teeth are exposed as their lips ae stretched up to a smile. As far as their drinking game goes, Natsu is losing. Yes, they're drinking milk, much to Kageyama's delight.

Shoyo lost a long atime ago and the two milk heads are on it. The way their eyebrows knits together in concentration, noses scrunched up, and cheeks puffed out is a sight to see. You don't get to watch Kageyama with a child that doesn't cry within his mere presence, let alone play with him.

"I can't hold it in! I'm going to pee!"

The shorter ball of fluff ran outside as fast as her legs could carry her. Just a little bit more... three more steps... two... then one. She got in!

Natsu came back to her brother wiping his tears as he cackle like a rooster. He reminded her of the Kuroo Tetsurou that he once mentioned, bedhead, hyena laugh and all. When she glanced to her Kageyama-nii-chan, she was almost blinded. His higantic smiles were presented at her boldly. A soft glow from the dying sun illuminated his face. She can feel the love strongly eminating from these two.

Just as the puzzle is coming on together, someone had to filp the table and topple off the pieces.

Whimpers and hiccups. Rattling and rustles. Disintegrating and decaying. Shoyo-nii-chan is crying.

One end of his lips tugged upward. Blood-curling smirk emblazoned on his dainty face. And as she peek at the door opened ajar, tears came rolling down her rosy cheeks, staining the fabric of her shirt with pure sadness that a child can't comprehend. A younger sister shouldn't see her brother's soul being chipped off like that, you know.

"The poison of your tongue has killed all your truthful words."

His throat is a sand paper being stroked on a piece of wood that produces a nasty sound. It aches. It's painful to shout. It's straining. He too doesn't like sound coming off from his mouth. Disdainful words that tarnishes their bond, lacerating sentences that makes him bleed too.

"I don't need you!"

Yes I do.

"Go away!"

Please stay.

"I didn't like the food. It was awful."

They're my favorite, thank you.

"When I said I don't wan't to it, it means I don't! Don't force me!"

Maybe I'm a bit hungry?

"I AM OKAY. I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP I CAN DO IT BY MY FUCKING SELF!"

I am a lost cause.

"Pale lips and dark eyes has broken the dreamer's lies."

He inaudibly shrieked one morning when he woke up. The world was wet with dew as it sleepily waved back at him. He tried to wave back, but the shock of living in monochrome froze him. Then he tumbled down with a thud.

For a moment he forgot what predicament he's in and tried to stand up only to out balance himself and landed face first down their wooden floor. Natsu, who was never asleep the entire night, came rushing by to her brother's room beside hers. Clearly shocked and bemused at her nii-chan's bleeding nose and busted lip, she stood frozen. A part of her wants to laugh but the other half actually feels bad. And good thing she did, because the next scene was horrifying.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

"N-nii-chan..."

"SEND FUCKING HELP!"

A soul was broken.

"There is something in your mind you can never find, boy."

Searching. Wandering. Roaming around an unprecedented area.

What was he seeking?

He alwas have thought that it was the adrenaline. His heart beating so fast, so loud that he can hear it through his ears. An energy flowing deep within, tingling his senses, pricking under his skin. He enjoys the rush, the pain, the smile in his teammates' lips.

Yet when he stared at Kageyama, he realized it wasn't.

What kept him alive...

"Im sick and tired of the voices, the noises. Everything seems magical."

"Hinata boke..."

"Nii-chan."

"Sho-kun!"

"HINATA SHOYO!"

...was love.

"My eyes are hiding the pavements of my vacancy. You can't take the power from me."

Kageyama wish he could hold Shoyo tighter. Peacefully zoning out in his arms, a small drool pooling below his mouth, and beautiful long lashes. So angelic and breathtaking.

Yet he still fears poring directly in his partner's eyes for they scream,

"I'm going to eat you alive."

Placing a kiss atop his head, a sigh escaped his lips. Then, honey-flecked orbs dangerously stared at him. A tremble was awaken inside his body.

"I love you."

The both of then were taken aback by his sudden words. Hinata was left in awe, speechless while Kageyama quickly recovered his composure. He came into terms with his feelings finally just right now, it's now or never.

"I want you more than any perfect toss. It's you that I want to hit my balls. We're partners, aren't we? I want to be by your side, holding you, loving you. We'll drink hundred liters of milk, we'll eat as many pork buns as you want. I want to spend my life with you."

"Kageyama-kun..."

"I know it'a sudden but Hina--!"

"Loving means being alive. Being alive is being able to love,

But you see, living, is not my energy."

-FIN

[whumpookies]

Merlin one shot, bit of humour can be found here

"No boat huh?"  Matthew muttered, scratching his head in slight confusion 

It was one thousand years later, and what would have been water was now fields, yet the Isle of the Blessed still sat on a hill in all its glory- the same hill that Talia and Matt stood facing. 

"No boat. That’s global warming for you," Talia shrugged easily as she placed down her longbow, making Matthew roll his eyes 

"So, what are we doing here?" Matthew asked as he sat on the hill looking down to the isle.

"Remember the last time we were here?" She asked, joining him sitting on the hill, their knees touching as they leaned back.

"Screaming vale, Doracha, cranky old woman, scarification of a soul to close the vail, Lancelot being an idiot, you warning the old hag..sure hard to forget, really. Why?" Matthew grinned cheekily. 

"Well, time for..revenge," she smirked. 

Matthew blinked..and blinked. "We're what?"

"Going to get revenge, well we ain't but..you’ll see," she half shrugged, laying back into the grass enjoying the rays from the warm sun.

"How? Or should I say why?" Matthew asked, looking over to her.

"Because I promised Lancelot I wouldn't get revenge...back then...didn't say anything about helping get revenge." Her eyes closed, unable to see the disbelieving look Matthew gave her. "You know he's gonna have kittens knowing what we're doing." She shrugged again, standing brushing the grass off her shoulders, Matthew following her actions. 

"That's why we'll tell him after we deal with the old crone," she grinned before grabbing Matthew's collar, dragging him down the hill towards the island.

"Just how are we doing this?" Matthew muttered climbing down the embankment.

"With a dragon." She answered, following him down the silence followed as Matthew stared at his best friend in shock. "A...dragon?"

"Yes, Merlin let me...borrow Kilgharrah"

"Borrow?" His eyebrows rose skywards, scepticism gracing his features. 

"Okay, not borrow...more like the dragon has it in for the hag, so we made a deal." Talia rolled her eyes before continuing along the field as Matthew huffed, "I don't want to know do I?"

"Nope." She answered, snickering. They carried on towards the Isle of the Blessed with a sense of mischief in their hearts.

"Just how did you get our swords and the longbow past the airport checkpoint?"

"You're really asking that now, Matt?"

"I'm curious, it’s not like you can say 'Hey officer, don't worry, just going to get revenge on Cailleach the old hag, then call a dragon, watch him eat her. Just ignore the swords, oh please don't check the blade, it's sharp. Oh look there goes your finger, don't matter if you hurry, it can be sewn on again!" Matthew counted off on his fingers, sarcasm dripping off his words.

"You finished?" She asked, rolling her eyes, once again asking herself why to the heavens. Surely deities were listening.

"Oh no, I've just started!" she sighed before clambering up the steps of the dry dock. "I actually said we're part of a cosplay team…"

"You what?!" 

"Now I bet you wished you never asked!" She cackled, walking down the dock, leaving a groaning Matthew. 

"You have no idea," he sighed.

It was as if time had stopped. The walls were damp, cobwebs spread in abundance, corridors dark until they spotted the light at the end of the tunnel leading to the altar. "How are we getting the old crone to come here? Not like we're sacrificing anyone...why are you looking at me like that?" Talia grinned at a very worried looking Matthew. "Don't worry, no scarification needed. Luckily Merlin knows a few tricks nowadays."

"Yeah, well he could at least get a haircut and a shave!"

"I think he's got the wizard look right down" she glanced over at him. 

"I still think Tolkien met him."

"What, to get the whole Gandalf look down?" She asked slightly confused

"Hell yes! Come on, both Merlin and Tolkien's characters have the beard and long hair… plus look what happened when you asked him to dress up at Samhain!" Matthew grinned, shaking his head. 

"Yeah..that was interesting," she agreed, her forehead creasing slightly.

"Tal, he declared Gandalf as a half-baked wannabe with a guilt complex the size of Albion."

"Point taken," she chuckled, shaking her head.

"Then Lancelot laughed that much he nearly passed out."

"Wait till this year at Halloween you'll love it…"

"If you say Merlin and Lancelot as themselves, I'm so going to be there to watch," Matthew said. 

"Nah, I gave up on that, thinking Harry Potter and Dumbledore." 

The laughter echoed down the empty passageway as they broke into the altar area; it was still large and lush with green grass swaying with the wind.

"You know Talia if this place wasn't linked to the old religion it would be perfect"

"I've nothing against the old religion, just the old hag with a god complex."

"Well let's do this, it's gonna be a long drive back."

Walking around the altar, Talia's hand running along the cool stone as Matthew stood leaning against the wall watching her. 

"How are we doing this?" He asked. 

"Easily, Cailleach is listening to the old hag and is too nosy not to! You ain't getting a sacrifice to some old hag. So come on let's have this out!" She yelled the last part, her voice echoing around the walls as she jumped up on the altar, sitting on the edge. 

"Are we really pissing her off?" Matthew asked.

"I don't get pissed off," the voice croaked behind him. 

"Bloody hell, you old cron don't do that!" Screeched Matthew in a high pitch voice that would make an opera singer jealous as Talia doubled over laughing. Cailleach stood behind the young man all in her dark glory. 

"What do you want, guardian?" She said.

"Oh come on, Cailleach. No hello? It's been, what, one thousand five hundred years, give or take a year...or ten," Talia shrugged, grinning ear to ear as she crossed her legs on the altar."The last I saw of you guardian...you threatened me, and I don't take well to threats," Cailleach accused, her eyes squinting at her.

"I don't take well to you trying to kill Arthur, Merlin or Lancelot," Talia shrugged easily, surprised  by her anger

"It is not killing.."

"Really? A sacrifice to close the veil isn't killing?. Don’t you have enough souls in the underworld?"

"Not yet," she grinned, looking to Matthew 

"Dream on hag, we're taken," Matthew muttered, walking over to Talia by the alter, sword in hand. 

"So it seems that you are, child." Cailleach mourned at the loss of another soul joining her.

"See, I promised someone I wouldn't get revenge on someone else." Talia brought the conversation back on track. "Lancelot." 

"Yes Cailleach, Lancelot, but I spent the day with a very large green-scaled dragon and it seems he still holds a grudge," she smirked, evilly sitting forward. 

"Oh look, Talia, I think it just dawned on her?!" Matthew laughed as Cailleach searched the skies above her as the wind picked up.

"So it seems Matt. Heads up hag, we've got a visitor!" Jumping down, Talia grabbed Matthew, dragging her friend towards the wall as wings came into view. 

"Done my part. Good luck Cailleach," Talia yelled over Kilgharrah's arrival.

"Amazing how hard it is to get a dragon to meet the gatekeeper," Talia muttered as she pulled Matthew into the gatehouse. 

"We are not gonna watch?" Matthew asked.

"Have you ever seen a gatekeeper and dragon go at it?"

"Well...no."

"Me neither, but Kilgharrah said to stay out of the…" A crash and crackle of magic hitting something stopped them.

Both looked to the door. 

"I think I get why now." Said Matthew worriedly looking over at her before a crash followed as rocks flew past the doorway. 

"Oh, that's one pissed off dragon." 

Talia nodded, sitting on an abandoned table. "Wouldn't you be? That old hag nearly killed Merlin, tried to stop the path of Arthur."

"Let's not forget the whole vail crap." 

Sparks struck the door frame as Matthew jumped back. "Oh, the whole Veil needs a blood sacrifice and all that crap. She has real issues with wanting blood." 

Fire bombarded the area passing the door; the heat could be felt with ease. 

"Damn, should have bought marshmallows," Said Matthew bemoaning the loss of a good crispy marshmallow.

"Next time."

"I'm bringing the sausages as well then!" She shook her head as Matthew watched the show as close to the door as possible.

"Well, the old hag needs a peg knocking out of her." 

"Duck!" Matt yelled, boards, bursting, showering bits of wood in all directions.

Talia ran to the door shouting around it. "Kilgharrah get a move on you overgrown lizard! That almost killed us!" 

Matt stood brushing debris off his coat moving away. 

"Bit close," he sighed. 

"Just a bit." 

With the table upturned, they sat behind it, flashes of lightning and flames, crashes and bashes, debris flew past the door frame or closer allowing them to duck, roars covered ears and magic was yelled as it all continued...

"How long?" Talia groaned heavily.

"Three hours and five minutes, in other words, five minutes from the last time you asked." 

"Damn"

"Tal, tell them to quit," Matt moaned whilst cleaning his nails with his sword.

"And get my head blown off?"

"Come on, it's getting late, Merlin can only keep him busy so long!"

"Your point?"

"I'm bored, hungry and they’re being.." he pointed to the door as a lightning bolt struck close by, "...idiots, and they’re going to get us killed!"

Sighing heavily Talia stood, brushing herself off and stormed to the door. "If I die, I'm haunting you!" She muttered before diving out the door quickly as a whip.

Matthew listened intently to the point of straining his ears above the yells of casting, roars and the odd flame until…."THAT WAS MY CLAW!" A deep booming voice Kilgharrah echoed.

"Well if you weren't such an arse, I wouldn't have to stab it, you stubborn bloody dragon! And don't you start either you old hag!"

Matthew snickered, leaning against the wall, shaking his head as laughter rippled through him, whilst trying to listen as Talia continued to rant.

"...yes, I know! Get over yourself, Cailleach or I'll run you through old woman…."

Matthew shook his head, wiping the tears away "...oh trust me, I go to that underworld and I'll haunt you so much that you'll be begging to kick me out.."

He had to agree, she probably would. Talia could be annoying as hell, that was for sure.

"..Yea you're pissed at each other, I get that but come on! When Arthur gets released from Avalon you both need him, so give it a bloody rest! Don't start, you overgrown chicken...and don't you start you wrinkled old pug!"

The second bout of hysterical laughter struck the young man bracing himself against the wall, only Talia would insult a dragon and the gatekeeper of the underworld.

"...Right, that's it!!! I'm calling a truce till next Samhain. You, Kilgharrah, home till Merlin wants you, and Cailleach back till the underworld…no, not Halloween, that my bloody time you get Samhain the eve of Halloween!"

Attempting to catch his breath, Matthew began gathering his and Talia's things.

"Yes, I promise I'll call upon you next bloody Samhain...just...behave till then!"

Matthew cleared the doorway as Kilgharrah flew off, no sign of Cailleach could be seen.

"Finished venting?"

"They are like bloody kids I tell you! I ain't cleaning this mess!" She vented, walking over to her friend gathering her stuff from him. 

"meh, we’ll just call Merlin on the way back; he can clean it up," Matthew reassured as the two made their way back out of the old palace.

"Next year we'll bring Lancelot and Merlin. It'll be fun," Talie said. 

"Only if we bring camp stuff and food," he replied. 

"Deal"

"Cool. Hey, can we stop by McDonald's on the way back? I'm starving," Matthew asked as Talia rolled her eyes. 

"Sure, Merlin wants a happy meal anyway"

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

S.T. REWRITE - S2:E2; Chapter Two, Trick or Treat, Freak - [Pt. 3 - FINAL PART]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

After Will sees something terrible on trick-or-treat night, Mike wonders whether Eleven’s still out there. Tensions grow between Y/n and Mike as does their concern for Will.

||Reader's POV||

There was a slight hiccup in plans, so I was unable to go over to wills house before hand for trick-or-treating, but thankfully everything was back on track. I ended meeting at mikes house with Dustin and by the looks of it, we had gotten there just in time. Jonathan pulled up and we all waited anxiously for them. The boys started hitting each other with their empty pillow cases and I laughed. Movement up ahead caught my eye and i smiled when I saw will heading our way

"Hey, Egon!"

We all caught up quickly before, planning our route.

"So, Jonathan's not coming?" I asked, knowing that was originally the plan.

Will smiled and told us Jonathan was cool enough to let us go alone, as long as he was back by 9. I smiled at him and linked our arms, as I goofily marched on down the street.

"Tonight we feast, fellas!"

+++

We'd been out for about an hour now, and will had turned on the video camera he brought.

We all waited patiently at the front door, Dustin and Lucas fought over who got to ring the bell. Soon enough a nice lady answered the door.

"Trick or treat!"

"Oh!" She beamed, reaching for the candy bowl. "Well, aren't you cute? The little exterminators." We all tried to hide our disappointment and the unexpected statement, when the lady turned to me.

"And who are you, young lady?" I forced a weak and awkward smile, and I felt the camera pan over to me, I could see Will snickering at the comment.

"Uh," I looked around, and finally shrugged. "It doesn't matter, thank you!" I trailed off, taking the candy. 

The door had closed behind us and the boys did not miss the opportunity to laugh. "Well, at least I'm not an exterminator!" I retort with a laugh.

Lucas began rummaging through his pillow case and sighed. "If I get another 3 Musketeers, I'm gonna kill myself."

"What's wrong with 3 Musketeers?" Dustin asked.

"'What's wrong with 3 Musketeers'?"

"No one likes 3 Musketeers." Mike argued.

"Yeah, it's just nougat?." Will said.

"Uh oh, here we go." I thought.

Dustin was quick to the defense. "Whoa, 'just nougat'? Just nougat? It is top three for me."

"Top three?"

"Top three!"

"Oh God, Give me a break." Mike whined.

"Seriously, I can just eat a whole bowl of nougat. Straight up."

"That's cause you're weird, Dustin." I laughed, as he stuck his tongue out at me.

I had fallen into the head of the group and just as I turned around I was surprised to say the least when I saw a Michael Myers Mask inches from my face, the figure was in all black and swinging a machete.

In my fight or flight response, I screamed, and threw my arms out and pushed the figure away as backed up.

The figure had been laughing, by winced and it's hands flew to to it's arm, holding it and wincing. "Ow, what the hell?"

The voice sounded familiar and with it's free hand, pulled the mask back and we all relaxed when we saw it was Max.

She shook her arm out and frowned, seeming confused, but she looked back at us and laughed.

"Holy shit! You should have seen the look on your faces. Also, your hands are, are like burning up, you might have a fever or something, cause like, what the hell was that. And you?" She pointed at Lucas. "Who screams like that? You sound like a little girl." 

She laughed and continued walking. I looked down at my hands and saw that they were still pretty red. I frowned as I looked at my hands, and rolled up my hands and touched m arm, wincing at how hot it was.

Lately, I've been noticing that it's been getting... worse. More frequent, to be specific. It's getting harder to control, like when I'm caught off guard like this, it's like a reflex and I can't control it. I don't know what's wrong with me, or how this is possible, or even how in the hell I got these abilities, but i can't help but feel more.... isolated. I-

"[Y/N]?"

I looked, up, realizing everyone was heading for the next house, except for Will. He lowered the camera a little.

"Are you okay?" 

I smiled weakly and shook my head. "Yeah, I'm fine." I wanted to tell him my concerns, but the tape was going so I opted not to. "Let's go, we better catch up."

I straightened my head and kept on walking.

+++ 

Some time had passed, and we had stopped by a few houses at Loch Nora. And Max was right, there were a ton of full sized candy bars.

"Another full-size. Like, seriously, rich people are such suckers." Dustin laughed, but then he grew quiet. "Wait, you're not rich, right?"

"No, I live up Old Cherry Road."

"Oh,"

"No, it's fine. I mean, the street's good for skating."

"Mmm, yeah. Totally tubular." Max raised her eyebrows and laughed at Dustin's comment.

"What? Did I say that right? Or is it, like, tubular."

Lucas and Dustin started doing their impression of a surfer, which made Max and I laugh. "Stop, my ears are actually hurting."

I had started to fall behind so I could walk with Mike and Will.

"You okay, Mike? You've been quiet."

He looked between Will and I, Will was now aiming the camera at us.

"Did you agree to this?" 

"What?" Will asked.

"What do you mean?"

Will lowered the camera. 

Mike glared at Max. "To her joining our party."

"It's just for Halloween." Will offered.

"You should have checked with me." He snapped.

I frowned. "Mike, what is your problem?" I asked, annoyed by his sudden behavior.

"She is! She's my problem. She's ruining the best night of the year." With that he stormed off.

"Mike," I called after him, quickly walking to catch up with him. "Mike, we should at last talk about this, Mike-!"

I heard a clatter from where we came from and my instinctively whipped around. I noticed Will wasn't with us.

"Will?" I called out, my heart starting to pound.

I ran back around the corner, and I could hear Mike following me.

I wanted to kick myself for not getting there in time, a bunch of a-hole teenagers were harassing him. Will was laying on his back, looking taken aback and his camera was on the ground with him. But all I could focus on were those bullies who were laughing and pointing at him as they walked away.

I ran after them. "Hey, piss off! You leave him alone, you hear me? Mind your own fucking business, a-holes!"

They just laughed and sneered as they kept on walking. I took a sharp and deep breath, and turned around. I heard Will calling my name, he was frightened.

"Will, are you okay-?"

"[Y/N]! Mike!"

I felt my stomach drop when I saw him. He was pale as a ghost and staring up at the sky. Before I could say or do anything, he turned ran behind some houses.

"Will!" I ran after him and I could hear Mike behind me. 

"What's going on?"

"He must be having another episode. Some assholes cornered him and now he's having an attack. Come on!"

I heard other footsteps join us and I assumed the others overheard and ran after us.

I saw Will stop suddenly and dive behind a ledge. "Will!"

I came around to halt, and saw more frightened than I'd seen him in a while. He was clutching his legs as they were tucked far into his chest, he rocked back and forth, his eyes closed and his breathing heavy."

My heart ached to see him like this. As quickly as my body could register, I reached out to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He jumped when he saw me.

"Will, it's me. It's okay, it's over. It's just me. What happened."

His eyes ere wide and frantic, he was looking around, still in shock.

"Will, I need you to breathe, okay?" He was shaking pretty heavily but he looked at me and nodded, taking deep breathes.

"Holy shit!"

"Is he okay?'

The others had caught up to us. 

"I-I don't know."

Mike knelled down and I moved over so they could talk.

"Will are you hurt? Are you okay?"

"I'm gonna get you home, okay? I'm gonna get you home. Hold on."

I stood up and offered my hand, Mike did the same. Will grabbed our hands and shakily stood up, he still hadn't said a word.

I grabbed an arm and started soothing him. That was when Mike snapped at me. "I got him."

I just stood there in shocked silence.

Even Dustin seemed put off by his behavior. "Mike?"

"Keep trick-or-treating. I'm bored anyways." He had a weird venom in his voice, and my blood began to boil.

We all stared after them. I was very angry at Mike, but more than anything I as worried about Will, and I just wanted to make sure he was okay.

"What's wrong with him?"

I felt anger and sadness blending together and I stormed off. I wanted to run after Mike and give him a piece of my mind, but I knew that's not what Will needs right now. I stopped short when I saw Will's camera and candy bag. I sighed, all the anger leaving my body and all that was left was worry.

I walked over and knelled down, pickup the camera and checking it. Thankfully, it seemed to still be in good shape, nothing other than some scratches and a dent in the plastic but other than that it seemed fine. I sighed, and turned off the camera, having realized it was still on. I closed it up and knelled back down, picking up his pillow case full of candy. 

My mind was racing, and but it never seemed to leave Will. 

||3rd Person POV||

"It's like... It's like I'm stuck."

Mike and Will had made it back to Mike's house. Will was currently waiting for Jonathan to show up, and the two were hiding out in the basement. Just before they had gotten to the house, [Y/N] had caught up to them, returning Will's camera and candy. She checked in with Will and quietly slipped away, something the boys couldn't help but feel a little bad for, Mike specifically.

Will had calmed down enough and he trembled ever so slightly as he recalled the encounter.

"Like, like, stuck in the Upside Down?" Mike asked gently.

"No." Will sighed, trying to find the right words. "You know how on a View-Master, when it get's like..." Will struggled with the words and gesturing.

"Caught between two slides?"

"Yeah. Like that. Like, one side's our world, and the other... the other slide is the Upside Down."

Mike was quiet s tried to understand all that was being said, all the while Will continued. "And there was this noise coming from everywhere."

Mike noticed the look in Will's eye, it was distant like he wasn't there. "And then I saw something."

"The demogorgon?"

"No. It was like this huge shadow in the sky. Only, it was alive. and it was coming for me."

"Is this all real?" Mike asked gently. "Or is it like the doctors say, all in your head?"

"I don't know. Just..." Will looked to Mike desperately. "Just please don't tell the others, okay? Especially [Y/N]. I don't want her to worry, and... and I know she's got a lot of stuff to worry abut already. And the others, they... They won't understand."

Mike looked to his lap and nodded. "Eleven would."

Will recalled all the stories they would tell him about Eleven. This made Will perk up. "She would?"

"Yeah. She always did."

The boys grew silent and Mike smiled sadly. "Sometimes I feel like, I can still see her. Like she's still around, but she never is." he shook his head, sniffling ever so slightly. "I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy."

"Me, too."

Mike looked to his best friend and smiled weakly. "Hey, well, if we're both going crazy, then we'll go crazy together, right?"

Will chuckled lightly, and smiled at Mike. "Yeah. Crazy together."

+++

"[Y/N], are you sure you're okay, you seem kinda not fine" Dustin called after his sister as she walked sadly into the house.

Her only reply was the front door slamming shut. Dustin sighed and was about to go after her when he heard a noise coming from behind him. He froze in place, and ever so slowly turned around. He stared at the metal trashcan as he heard the strange noise again. It was strange, high pitched growl.

"Mews," he called softly, not believing for a second i twas his mother's cat. "is that--"

The trash can moved suddenly with a loud echoing thud and Dustin gasped, dropping his bag of candy on the pavement. His heart was racing and he kept telling himself that there had to be reasonable explanation but for the life of him he could not think of one. Dustin slowly reached behind his back and pulled out his "proton blaster" and aimed it at the trash.

He slowly and cautiously stalked forward.

The high pitched growl echoed off in a metallic manner once more and the trash can shook.

He crept further. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit."

It chirped and growled. 

He stepped closer.

It growled again.

This is it, He thought, Now or never.

Dustin summoned every scrap of courage he could muster and let out his best battle cry as he ripped the lid off the trash can, and aiming his blaster at the bottom of the can.

He froze suddenly, staring at the strange sight before him.

"Holy sh-"

+++

Tag List: @dickkwad @aimee-lucass @iblesstherainsdown-in-africa @miscellaneoustoasts @acexattorney

DM me if you want to be added!

[fanwarriorfictions]

One-

A Stranger Things Fanfic

Chapter Four- Part Three

Once the three Wheelers got home, Nancy and Karen rushed into the house, arguing, loudly. Phina walked inside behind them, a deep sigh escaping her lips. Her head was pounding due to the on going stress of the past few days, and the fight her mother and sister were having didn't help any.

"You lied to the police," Karen shouts.

"I didn't lie," Nancy defends herself.

"How naïve do you think I am," Karen yells, "you and Steve were just talking?"

Nancy stops walking and turns to her mom, "we slept together! Is that what you want to know? It doesn't matter!"

Nancy goes to walk upstairs again.

"It does matter," Karen says.

Nancy turns back to her mother, livid.

"No! It is all bullshit! It has nothing to do with Barb, and she's missing, and something terrible happened to her and I know it. I know it!" Nancy pauses. "And the only one who cares in Phina!"

Nancy tried to storm away, but Karen stopped her, "sweety, sweety. I'm listening."

"No!" Nancy's voice breaks. "You're not."

Nancy storms upstairs. Karen calls out after her, but Nancy doesn't listen. Phina pushes past her mom, following her sister.

"Phina," Karen pleads.

"Just leave her alone mom," Phina bites out at her, "leave us alone."

She runs up the stairs and walks over to Nancy's door. The door had been slammed shut and locked by her upset sister.

She knocks, "Nance, it's me. Open the door."

After a few seconds, the door unlocks with a click and Phina turns the handle. She pushes open the door, seeing her sisters tears instantly bringing tears to her own eyes. They sit down on Nancy's bed in silence. Comforting each other with just the others presence.

Nancy sits forward and grabs her bag, a look of complementation on her face.

"What are you doing," Phina asks her.

Nancy reaches in her bag, grabbing out the pieces of Jonathan's pictures, "he had one of Barb, Jonathan was the last person to see her."

Nancy shows her a piece, it had Barb sitting on the diving board, looking down at the water. Nancy let's Phina look at it for a second, thinking. She then starts to piece together the picture, the pieces fitting together like a puzzle.

"Grab me the tape," Nancy tells her sister.

Phina complies, grabbing tape from Nancy's desk and handing it to her. Nancy tapes the pieces together and Phina looks at the picture over her shoulder. For a minute it looks normal, like Barb was the only one there, but as she looked closer, she saw the tall figure standing behind her.

"Look," Phina points at the figure.

Nancy looks closely at it and turns to Phina, "is that what we saw?"

"I think it might be," Phina nodded.

"If it was there, then Jonathan might have seen it," Nancy says.

"Maybe, he didn't say anything about it to me though," Phina says.

"We could show him, ask him what he saw that night," Nancy says.

"Yeah, I guess we could," Phina sighs, "but Jonathan is going through a lot right now. If he doesn't want to speak, I won't make him."

Nancy nods, "got it."

"I'll call his house, see where he's at," Phina says.

She walks downstairs and calls the Byers' number. Joyce answers.

"Hello?"

"Hey Joyce, is Jonathan home?"

"No, no he's picking out a coffin," Joyce says, the pain showing in her voice.

Phina nods, "ok, thank you Joyce. I'll come by tonight if you want, I'll bring some food."

Joyce smiles, "thank you Phina."

"No problem at all Joyce," Phina says, "I'll see you later, bye."

"Bye."

Phina waited in the hall for Nancy to get Jonathan. She nervously played with her hands, glancing at the door every few seconds for Nancy and Jonathan. Being in the funeral home was feeding the bad feeling in her gut, if it got any worse she would soon expect the end of the world to happen.

When the two of them walked through the door together, she immediately noticed the awkward air surrounding them. They went and sat next to Phina, Nancy pulling out the picture and showing it to Jonathan.

They showed him the figure behind Barb, and Jonathan examines it carefully.

"I mean. It looks like it could be some kind of perception distortion, but I wasn't using a wide angle," he explains.

He shakes his head and looks at the girls, "I don't know, it's weird."

"And your sure you didn't see anyone else out there," Nancy asks.

"No, she was there one second, and then, gone. I figured she bolted," Jonathan tells them.

"The cops think that she ran away, but they don't know Barb," Nancy says, "and when we went back to Steve's, we thought we saw something."

Phina nods, the image of the monster flashing in her head. A shiver ran down her spine at the image.

"Some weird man. Or," Nancy sighs, "I don't know what it was."

"It was not like anything I've ever seen in those woods Jon," Phina tells him.

The theee go silent, Jonathan contemplating what they had told him. Nancy gets a little unnerved, and starts to shake her head.

"I'm sorry, we shouldn't of come here, today, I'm so sorry," Nancy says, grabbing Phina's arm.

"Nance wait," Phina says.

Nancy continues to pull her away but Jonathan's voice stops them, "what'd he look like?"

"What?"

"This man you saw in the woods," Jonathan says, his voice slightly shaking, "what'd he look like?"

"Um, I, I don't know," Nancy pauses, "like... he didn't have a..."

"Didn't have a face," Jonathan asks.

Nancy looks at him, slightly shocked, "how did you know that?"

Three teens went to the school, so Jonathan could use the red room to enhance the photo. Phina elected to sit outside the door, to make sure no one went inside and saw the monster in the photo. She also had elected the roll of match maker.

Phina could see the chemistry between her sister and her best friend. The tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife, it was suffocating really. The only thing holding them back was Steve.

Nancy wouldn't leave Steve for Jonathan, no, she wasn't the type of girl to just jump from guy to guy. Nancy wanted to have a long lasting relationship, and since she already is in one, she wouldn't leave it.

Phina continued to think about Steve Harrington, listing off all the things that described him. Most of the words she thought of would make a sailor blush. Steve Harrington is the most ignorant, selfish, piece of shit person Phina had ever met, but she could never get him off her mind. He stayed there, like a parasite, waiting for the chance to take control.

She hated him, with a passion, but couldn't admit that she had another feeling for him, small compared to the hatred, but it was there. No matter how much she tries, it just won't go away, stinging like a paper cut on her heart.

All Phina wanted to do is punch his perfect face, so it would leave her mind for once. Or to rip his hair out, so she could stop thinking about how soft it might be. She wished that she didn't know him at all, so she could live in peace.

She groaned and let her head fall onto the desk in front of her, her forehead smacking the surface. The door opened behind her and Jonathan and Nancy emerged.

Phina stood up quickly, "did it work?"

Nancy holds out the picture for Phina to look at it, "it's what we saw Phina."

Phina nods, she looks them both in the eyes, before turning her head back to the picture, "so what do we do?"

"We go to Will's funeral tomorrow, and we'll come up with a plan then," Jonathan tells them.

The girls nod, "got it."

   A warm hand grips mine, adrenaline pumps through my bones as we run for our lives. An awful, truly terrifying screech echoes behind us. The hand around my own tightens, we jump, and then I'm falling.

   "Phina!"

   The hand is gone and I'm alone, laying on the cold hard ground, in indescribable pain. I sit up, screaming out in pain, my eyes instantly finding the middle school I laid in front of. One single thought goes through my mind, the kids.

-1411 words-